Antimicrobial Coatings Obtained in an Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Glow Discharge
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N8.13.1
Antimicrobial Coatings Obtained in an Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Glow Discharge Sabine Paulussen, Dirk Vangeneugden, Olivier Goossens and Erik Dekempeneer Materials Technology Division, VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research), Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol, Belgium.
ABSTRACT This paper addresses the development of plasma polymer coatings that should prevent bacteria from adhering to medical devices, implants, textile fibers, packaging materials, etc. The two main parameters affecting bacterial colonization onto surfaces are the surface energy and the surface roughness. Both parameters can be adjusted by the deposition of a thin plasma polymer coating in an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier glow discharge. According to SEM, FTIR, SPM, XPS and contact angle measurements, smooth, hydrophilic plasma polymer coatings were obtained under specific plasma conditions starting from 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and ethyl diazoacetate (EDA).
INTRODUCTION In the initial step of bacterial cell adhesion, proteins are adsorbed onto a surface [1]. Moreover, some bacteria strains produce a polysaccharide based matrix referred to as slime, which provides them with an additional mechanism for adhesion and an increased resistance to antibiotic drug therapies [2]. The reduction of protein and polysaccharide adsorption onto surfaces is therefore an important issue in the development of improved materials for medical applications such as implants, prostheses, shunts, intraocular or contact lenses and medical devices. Besides, this is also a topic in the developent of food grade or medical grade plastic foil and textile fiber. Despite the lack of a theory on the role of hydrophobicity on protein adhesion, it is reported in the literature that surfaces of low surface energy adsorb more proteins than surfaces of high surface energy [3-6]. Moreover, proteins show better adhesion to rough surfaces [7, 8]. Common low-pressure nonequilibrium plasmas represent an excellent method to deposit a very thin polymeric film (typically 2-100 nm) with mentioned desirable surface properties [9, 10]. The application of low-pressure plasmas is however limited due to the need of vacuum equipment and the low deposition rates that can be obtained. Therefore, both the industrial and the academic world show a growing interest in plasma processes at atmospheric pressure. So far, applications were mainly situated in the area of cleaning, sterilization and activation of plastic surfaces, but currently the focus is shifting towards the deposition of organic and inorganic functional coatings on various substrates [11]. Like the low-pressure plasma techniques, atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier glow discharges allow treatment of a variety of objects, foils, fibers, etc in a sterile environment and at room temperature. In addition, the atmospheric pressure set-up allows continuous processing, which is especially interesting for the treatment of textile and plastic foil, while it allows significantly
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