Adsorption is the process by which a gas, liquid or solute accumulates on the surface of a solid, forming a molecular or atomic film that is weakly bonded to the surface.
Plasma treatment has been applied to prepare surfaces and in the fabrication of devices for cell biology studies.
Plasma treatment has been extensively applied to facilitate cell culturing in tissue engineering studies, and to prepare surfaces used in biomedical applications.
Surface cleaning is often required to remove organic contaminants and prepare surfaces for subsequent processing.
Contact printing enables patterning of a surface through use of a transfer template, simplifying pattern transfer and eliminating the use of more complicated photolithographic techniques.
Etching and deposition are processes that remove or add, through chemical reaction or by physical means, layers of film from or onto the material surface.
A subset of papers published by our users that provide greater in-depth discussion of the effect of plasma treatment on their specific material in research areas such as biomaterials, photovoltaic/solar cell materials, nanoparticle processing, and PDMS surface modification.
A list of Journal of Visualized Experiment (JoVE) videos published by our users that feature our plasma cleaners in their process protocols.
Plasma can be applied to selectively etch and pattern graphene layers as well as to oxidize graphene to introduce defects and increase surface hydrophilicity for various electronic, sensing, and mechanical applications.
Microfluidic devices enable the modeling of large systems on a smaller, micron scale, increasing the potential for automation and portability, and decreasing experimental measurement times and costs.
In addition to PDMS, microfluidic devices are also fabricated from other thermoset or thermoplastic polymers to take advantage of the varying material properties offered by more rigid polymers.
Nanofibers are fibers that have a diameter of less than 100 nanometers. They can be assembled to form fibrous meshes or membranes and have a range of applications, including use as scaffolds for tissue engineering and for filtration applications.
Nanoparticles are particles of nanometer size and exhibit materials properties that are different from that of their bulk equivalent.
Nanowires have lateral dimensions on the nanometer scale, with a length-to-width aspect ratio of 1000 or greater. Nanowires can exhibit optical, electrical, and mechanical properties that are different from their bulk equivalent.
Self-assembly is the ordered arrangement of molecules onto a surface, through intermolecular or intramolecular bonding, with little or no assistance from external forces.
Sensors have been fabricated through contact printing, microelectronics, and self-assembly processing techniques for biological and chemical sensing applications.
Solar or photovoltaic cells are typically fabricated from multiple layers of inorganic or organic semiconductor film. Nanoscale cleanliness and precise surface chemistry are often required for optimal device performance.
Surface adhesion and the mechanical interaction of surfaces are greatly influenced by frictional forces and electrostatic potentials between molecules on two surfaces.
Raman signal intensity can be greatly enhanced when probing organic or biological molecules on substrates decorated with metallic nanostructures. Plasma treatment may be applied towards fabricating such SERS substrates and removing probe molecules from SERS substrates.
Surfaces may be modified through plasma treatment for a variety of materials requirements. These may include enhancement of surface adhesion, surface functionalization, cleaning, surface oxidation, or plasma polymerization.
Surfaces may be patterned using a number or combination of techniques, including photolithography, self-assembly, and contact printing.
The wettability of a surface may be modified through plasma treatment with the appropriate gas(es) to render a surface hydrophilic or hydrophobic.
