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Plasma Electroless Reduction: A Green Process for Designing Metallic Nanostructure Interfaces onto Polymeric Surfaces
Vineeth M Vijayan1,2, Melissa Walker3, Renjith R Pillai1
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Laboratory for Polymers & Healthcare Materials/Devices, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), 1150 10th Ave S, Birmingham, Alabama 35233, United States.
A novel plasma electroless reduction (PER) method enables green, in situ metallic nanostructuring on diverse polymer surfaces. This technique creates functional coatings on materials like cellulose, face masks, and 3D scaffolds, demonstrating significant antibacterial properties.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Chemistry
- Plasma Physics
Background:
- Developing green and scalable methods for metal nanoparticle-modified polymer surfaces is challenging.
- Existing techniques often lack efficiency or environmental friendliness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel, green, low-temperature plasma-based strategy for in situ metallic nanostructuring on polymer surfaces.
- To demonstrate the versatility and efficacy of this method on various polymer substrates for biomedical applications.
Main Methods:
- Plasma Electroless Reduction (PER): A green, low-temperature plasma-based in situ surface reduction strategy.
- Substrate Preparation: Dip-coating hydrophilic cellulose papers with metal ion solutions (Ag+, Au3+).
- Hydrophobic Surface Treatment: Sequential air and hydrogen plasma treatment for fibrous and 3D printed polymers.
Main Results:
- PER achieved anisotropic growth of silver and gold nanoparticles, forming spherical nanoparticles and 2D nanosheets.
- The method was successfully adapted to hydrophobic materials like surgical face masks and 3D printed polylactic acid scaffolds.
- Optimized PER on 3D scaffolds yielded uniform nanoparticle coatings and improved cytocompatibility, with demonstrated antibacterial efficacy of silver coatings.
Conclusions:
- The plasma electroless reduction (PER) method offers a promising, green, and scalable approach for creating metallic nanostructured polymer surfaces.
- This technique holds significant potential for diverse biomedical applications, particularly in developing antibacterial materials.
- PER provides a versatile platform for tailoring surface properties of various polymeric materials.
