Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026
07:37
Basic Research in Plasma Medicine - A Throughput Approach from Liquids to Cells
Published on: November 17, 2017
13.4K
Cellulose defibrillation and functionalization by plasma in liquid treatment
Sorin Vizireanu1, Denis Mihaela Panaitescu2, Cristian Andi Nicolae3
1National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Atomistilor 409, Magurele, Bucharest, Ilfov, 077125, Romania.
Scientific Reports
|October 21, 2018
Summary
Submerged liquid plasma (SLP) treatment effectively modifies microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), enhancing its defibrillation and surface functionalization. This plasma-activated cellulose improves biopolymer composites
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Chemistry
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Submerged liquid plasma (SLP) is an emerging technique for powder material modification.
- Current applications of SLP are primarily on carbonaceous materials, with limited exploration for cellulose modification.
- Cellulose modification holds potential for developing cost-effective and eco-friendly biomaterials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the modification of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) using submerged liquid plasma (SLP) combined with ultrasonication.
- To explore the effects of inert (argon) and reactive (argon:oxygen, argon:nitrogen) plasma gases on MCC.
- To evaluate the impact of plasma-treated MCC on the properties of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) composites.
Main Methods:
- Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) dispersions were treated using SLP in various gas atmospheres (argon, argon:oxygen, argon:nitrogen).
- Ultrasonication was applied in conjunction with SLP treatments.
- Surface characterization was performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).
Main Results:
- SLP treatment significantly enhanced the defibrillation of MCC.
- Surface functionalization of MCC with oxygen or nitrogen moieties was confirmed by XPS and FTIR.
- Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) composites incorporating plasma-modified cellulose fibers exhibited improved thermal stability and mechanical properties compared to pristine PHB.
Conclusions:
- SLP processing is an effective method for activating cellulose, promoting defibrillation and surface functionalization.
- Plasma-modified cellulose demonstrates potential as a reinforcing agent for biopolymers.
- This technique offers a novel approach for enhancing the performance of biopolymer composites.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Cellulose and Pectic Polysaccharides
4.9K
Every plant cell has a cell wall that protects the cell, provides structural support, and gives the cell shape. Cellulose, the main structural component of the plant cell wall, makes up over 30% of plant matter. It is the most abundant organic compound on earth. Cellulose is an unbranched polysaccharide composed of linear chains of glucose molecules linked by β (1→4) glycosidic bonds.
As a cell matures, its cell wall specializes according to its type. For example, the...
As a cell matures, its cell wall specializes according to its type. For example, the...
4.9K
01:24Composition of Blood Plasma
8.5K
Blood plasma is a fluid that contains approximately 92% water and 8% solutes. The solutes include various types of proteins, which constitute about 7% of the total solutes in the plasma. The high-molecular-weight proteins—albumins, globulins, and fibrinogen—are essential to plasma function. Albumins, making up about 60% of the plasma proteins, maintain the osmotic balance within blood vessels by preventing excessive water leakage. Additionally, albumins serve as carrier proteins,...
8.5K
01:22Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane
2.4K
Cell division and enlargement are processes that require precise control. The control ensures that cell division cannot proceed unless the cell has grown to a specific size. A spherical, dividing cell requires an approximately 1.6X increase in its surface area to double its volume. The secretory pathway also has a significant role in cell membrane enlargement. Secretory vesicles that bud off from the Golgi apparatus and later fuse with the plasma membrane during exocytosis are a major source of...
2.4K
02:26Molecular Comparison of Gases, Liquids, and Solids
55.1K
Particles in a solid are tightly packed together (fixed shape) and often arranged in a regular pattern; in a liquid, they are close together with no regular arrangement (no fixed shape); in a gas, they are far apart with no regular arrangement (no fixed shape). Particles in a solid vibrate about fixed positions (cannot flow) and do not generally move in relation to one another; in a liquid, they move past each other (can flow) but remain in essentially constant contact; in a gas, they move...
55.1K
01:27Plasma Membrane in Bacteria and Archaea
1.8K
The plasma membrane is an essential cellular structure responsible for maintaining cellular integrity and regulating the selective transport of molecules. While bacteria and archaea share the fundamental function of plasma membranes, their structural and molecular differences reflect adaptations to distinct ecological and physiological challenges.Bacterial Plasma MembranesBacterial plasma membranes are predominantly composed of phospholipids with fatty acid chains ester-linked to a glycerol...
1.8K
02:45Functional Groups
88.6K
Functional groups are a group of atoms with characteristic properties, which when linked to the carbon skeleton of a molecule, alter the properties of that molecule. For example, the presence of certain functional groups on a molecule will make them hydrophilic, whereas others will make them hydrophobic. These functional groups are an indispensable part of organic chemistry and important components of biological molecules, such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Each...
88.6K