Fiorenza Fanelli

Aerosol-assisted atmospheric cold plasma deposition and characterization of superhydrophobic organic-inorganic nanocomposite thin films.

A facile atmospheric pressure cold plasma process is presented to deposit a novel organic-inorganic hydrocarbon polymer/ZnO nanoparticles nanocomposite coating. Specifically, this method involves the utilization of an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) fed with helium and the aerosol of a dispersion of oleate-capped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) in n-octane. As assessed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, the deposited nanocomposite coating combines the chemical features of both the oleate-capped ZnO NPs and the polyethylene-like organic component originated from the plasma polymerization of n-octane. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission scanning electron microscopy (TSEM) confirm the synthesis of hierarchical micro/nanostructured coatings containing quasi-spherical NPs agglomerates. The polyethylene-like polymer covers the NPs agglomerates to different extents and contributes to their immobilization in the three-dimensional network of the coating. The increase of both the deposition time (1-10 min) and the NPs concentration in the dispersion (0.5-5 wt %) has a significant effect on the chemical and morphological structure of the thin films and, in fact, results in the increase the ZnO NPs content, which ultimately leads to superhydrophobic surfaces (advancing and receding water contact angles higher than 160°) with low hysteresis due to the hierarchical multiscale roughness of the coating.

Thin film deposition at atmospheric pressure using dielectric barrier discharges: Advances on three-dimensional porous substrates and functional coatings

Surface processing of materials by atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) has experienced significant growth in recent years. Considerable research efforts have been directed for instance to develop a large variety of processes which exploit different DBD electrode geometries for the direct and remote deposition of thin films from precursors in gas, vapor and aerosol form. This article briefly reviews our recent progress in thin film deposition by DBDs with particular focus on process optimization. The following examples are provided: (i) the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of thin films on an open-cell foam accomplished by igniting the DBD throughout the entire three-dimensional (3D) porous structure of the substrate, (ii) the preparation of hybrid organic/inorganic nanocomposite coatings using an aerosol-assisted process, (iii) the DBD jet deposition of coatings containing carboxylic acid groups and the improvement of their chemical and morphological stability upon immersion in water.

Heterogenization of Ketone Catalyst for Epoxidation by Low Pressure Plasma Fluorination of Silica Gel Supports

Low pressure plasma was used for preparing heterogeneous organocatalysts 2-(A)-(C) suitable for dioxirane-mediated epoxidations. Heterogenization was accomplished by adsorption of the methyl perfluoroheptyl ketone (2) on fluorinated supports (A)-(C) deriving from the treatment of commercial C8-silica gel in low pressure plasma fed with fluorocarbons. Catalyst 2-(C) proved to be the most efficient one, promoting epoxidation of an array of alkenes, including unsaturated fatty esters like methyl oleate (10) and the triglyceride soybean oil (11), with the cheap potassium peroxymonosulfate KHSO5 (caroate) as a green oxidant. Notably, the perfluorinated matrix gives rise to the activation of caroate, generating singlet oxygen. Materials were characterized by infrared Attenuated Total Reflectance spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS ) and Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM).

Preparation of hybrid multifunctional nanocomposite coatings by aerosol-assisted atmospheric cold plasma deposition

This contribution briefly reviews our recent progress in the preparation of hybrid organic/inorganic nanocomposite coatings by using an aerosol-assisted atmospheric pressure cold plasma process. The deposited coatings show multifunctional behavior due to the combination at the nanoscale level of the specific properties of the organic and inorganic components.