Igor Novák

Analysis of correlation between percolation concentration and elongation at break in filled electroconductive epoxy-based adhesives

Abstract Electrical conductivity and elongation at break of epoxy filled with electroconductive carbon black, graphite or with silver-coated basalt particles or fibres were investigated in this paper. Percolation concentrations were determined to be 14 vol% for epoxy/carbon black composites, 22 vol% for epoxy/graphite composites, 28–29 vol% for both epoxy/silver-coated basalt particles and fibres. The steepest increase in electrical conductivity and the most pronounced decrease in elongation at break occurs at similar filler concentration range for all investigated systems. A good correlation between phenomenological model, introduced in [J. Mater. Sci. Lett. 18 (1998) 1457] and experimental data for all investigated systems was observed.

An in vitro bacterial adhesion assessment of surface-modified medical-grade PVC

Medical-grade polyvinyl chloride was surface modified by a multistep physicochemical approach to improve bacterial adhesion prevention properties. This was fulfilled via surface activation by diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge plasma followed by radical graft copolymerization of acrylic acid through surface-initiated pathway to render a structured high density brush. Three known antibacterial agents, bronopol, benzalkonium chloride, and chlorhexidine, were then individually coated onto functionalized surface to induce biological properties. Various modern surface probe techniques were employed to explore the effects of the modification steps. In vitro bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation assay was performed. Escherichia coli strain was found to be more susceptible to modifications rather than Staphylococcus aureus as up to 85% reduction in adherence degree of the former was observed upon treating with above antibacterial agents, while only chlorhexidine could retard the adhesion of the latter by 50%. Also, plasma treated and graft copolymerized samples were remarkably effective to diminish the adherence of E. coli.

Polysaccharides Coatings on Medical-Grade PVC: A Probe into Surface Characteristics and the Extent of Bacterial Adhesion

Medical-grade polyvinyl chloride was coated by polysaccharides through a novel physicochemical approach. An initial surface activation was performed foremost via diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge plasma in air at ambient temperature and pressure. Then, radical graft copolymerization of acrylic acid through grafting-from pathway was directed to render a well-defined brush of high density, and finally a chitosan monolayer and chitosan/pectin alternating multilayer were bound onto the functionalized surfaces. Surface characteristics were systematically investigated using several probe techniques. In vitro bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation assays indicated that a single chitosan layer was incapable of hindering the adhesion of a Staphylococcus aureus bacterial strain, while up to 30% reduction was achieved by the chitosan/pectin layered assembly. On the other hand, chitosan and chitosan/pectin multilayer could retard Escherichia coli adhesion by 50% and 20%, respectively. Furthermore, plasma treated and graft copolymerized samples were also found effective to diminish the degree of adherence of Escherichia coli.

Investigation of the correlation between electrical conductivity and elongation at break in polyurethane-based adhesives

Electrical conductivity and elongation at break of polyurethane (PU) filled with two different grades of graphite, Ag-coated basalt particles and fibres were investigated in this paper. Percolation concentrations were determined to be as follows: 21 or 22 vol.% for PU/graphite composites, 29 vol.% for both PU/Ag-coated particles and PU/Ag-coated fibres composites. It was found that the steepest increase in electrical conductivity and the more pronounced decrease in elongation at break occurs at the same filler concentration range for all investigated systems. A good correlation between phenomenological model, introduced in [J. Mater. Sci. Lett. 18 (1999) 1457], and experimental data for all investigated systems was also observed.

A new route for chitosan immobilization onto polyethylene surface.

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) belongs to commodity polymer materials applied in biomedical applications due to its favorable mechanical and chemical properties. The main disadvantage of LDPE in biomedical applications is low resistance to bacterial infections. An antibacterial modification of LDPE appears to be a solution to this problem. In this paper, the chitosan and chitosan/pectin multilayer was immobilized via polyacrylic acid (PAA) brushes grafted on the LDPE surface. The grafting was initiated by a low-temperature plasma treatment of the LDPE surface. Surface and adhesive properties of the samples prepared were investigated by surface analysis techniques. An antibacterial effect was confirmed by inhibition zone measurements of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The chitosan treatment of LDPE led to the highest and most clear inhibition zones (35 mm(2) for E. coli and 275 mm(2) for S. aureus).

Analysis and Characterization of Printed Plasma-Treated Polyvinyl Chloride

Abstract A number of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) applications require a modification of surface properties of the polymer. In the present work, the effects of plasma treatment on the resulting surface, including chemical composition, wettability, and roughness, were assessed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, and scanning electron microscopy analysis. A significant alteration regarding the oxygen and carbon content as evidenced by the XPS data was observed after oxygen plasma treatment. Scanning electron microscope images revealed a drastic change of the topography of the treated surface. These changes correspond to improvement in the printability of the treated surface. Therefore, plasma modification in air is demonstrated to be a viable method to improve printability of PVC.

Adhesion of poly(propylene) modified by corona discharge

The surface of isotactic poly(propylene) foils was oxidized by corona discharge plasma in order to improve the adhesive characteristics. The dependence of the degree of surface oxidation on either the current density or the time of exposure was determined. Rapid increase of the free surface energy was observed at current densities ranging from 0.4 to 0.6 mA. A reduction of the exposure time of discharge at the foil surface has an effect similar to the reduction of current density. The change of free surface energy of extruded poly(propylene) was rapid, especially during the first 24 h, while for modified biaxially y oriented poly(propylene) the decrease of free surface energy was substantially slower.

Antibacterial performance of alginic acid coating on polyethylene film.

Alginic acid coated polyethylene films were examined in terms of surface properties and bacteriostatic performance against two most representative bacterial strains, that is, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Microwave plasma treatment followed by brush formation in vapor state from three distinguished precursors (allylalcohol, allylamine, hydroxyethyl methacrylate) was carried out to deposit alginic acid on the substrate. Surface analyses via various techniques established that alginic acid was immobilized onto the surface where grafting (brush) chemistry influenced the amount of alginic acid coated. Moreover, alginic acid was found to be capable of bacterial growth inhibition which itself was significantly affected by the brush type. The polyanionic character of alginic acid as a carbohydrate polymer was assumed to play the pivotal role in antibacterial activity. The cell wall composition of two bacterial strains along with the substrates physicochemical properties accounted for different levels of bacteriostatic performance.

Effects of short-term thermomechanical densification on the structure and properties of wood veneers

Abstract The effects of short-term thermomechanical (STTM) densification temperature and pressure on the changes in surface roughness, wettability, mass loss (ML), thickness and density of alder, beech, birch, and pine wood veneer with low moisture content (~5%) were investigated. The anatomical structure of veneers was also observed. Veneer sheets were densified using pressure levels of 4, 8 and 12 MPa at three temperatures: 100°C, 150°C and 200°C for 4 min. The results were compared with those of the non-densified veneers. The obtained results show that STTM densification of veneers similarly to long-term densification of solid wood causes irreversible changes in their properties. The STTM-densified veneer surfaces became smoother and more hydrophobic, ML increased slightly while roughness and thickness values decreased significantly, the cell lumens collapsed and a certain amount of fractures in cell walls developed with increasing densification temperature and pressure. All of the investigated wood species showed higher density values after densification. It was found that an even STTM densification of veneers provides stable properties under normal atmosphere conditions; in particular, the thickness and contact angle values were stable for 24 hours after densification, which is an important consideration for industrial applications.

Polyolefin in Packaging and Food Industry

The commonly used food packaging polymers are polyolefins, such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), isotactic polypropylene (PP), and some polyethylene-based copolymers.