Martin Polak

Low temperature atmospheric pressure plasma sources for microbial decontamination

The aim of this paper is to provide a survey of plasma sources at atmospheric pressure used for microbicidal treatment. In order to consider the interdisciplinary character of this topic an introduction and definition of basic terms and procedures are given for plasma as well as for microbicidal issues. The list of plasma sources makes no claim to be complete, but to represent the main principles of plasma generation at atmospheric pressure and to give an example of their microbicidal efficiency. The interpretation of the microbicidal results remain difficult due to the non-standardized methods used by different authors and due to the fact that small variations in the setup can change the results dramatically.

Characterization of the global impact of low temperature gas plasma on vegetative microorganisms.

Plasma medicine and also decontamination of bacteria with physical plasmas is a promising new field of life science with huge interest especially for medical applications. Despite numerous successful applications of low temperature gas plasmas in medicine and decontamination, the fundamental nature of the interactions between plasma and microorganisms is to a large extent unknown. A detailed knowledge of these interactions is essential for the development of new as well as for the enhancement of established plasma‐treatment procedures. In the present work we introduce for the first time a growth chamber system suitable for low temperature gas plasma treatment of bacteria in liquid medium. We have coupled the use of this apparatus to a combined proteomic and transcriptomic analyses to investigate the specific stress response of Bacillus subtilis 168 cells to treatment with argon plasma. The treatment with three different discharge voltages revealed not only effects on growth, but also clear evidence of cellular stress responses. B. subtilis suffered severe cell wall stress, which was made visible also by electron microscopy, DNA damages and oxidative stress as a result of exposure to plasma. These biological findings were supported by the detection of reactive plasma species by OES measurements.

Gas-Discharge Plasma-Assisted Functionalization of Titanium Implant Surfaces

A crucial factor for in-growth of metallic implants in the bone stock is the rapid cellular acceptance whilst prevention of bacterial adhesion on the surface. Such contradictorily adhesion events could be triggered by surface properties. There already exists fundamental knowledge about the influence of physicochemical surface properties like roughness, titanium dioxide modifications, cleanness, and (mainly ceramic) coatings on cell and microbial behavior in vitro and in vivo. The titanium surface can be equipped with antimicrobial properties by plasma-based copper implantation, which allows the release and generation of small concentrations of copper ions during contact with water-based biological liquids. Additionally, the titanium surface was equipped with amino groups by the deposition of an ultrathin plasma polymer. This coating on the one hand does not significantly reduce the generation of copper ions, and on the other hand improves the adhesion and spreading of osteoblast cells. The process development was accompanied by physicochemical surface analyses like XPS, FTIR, contact angle, SEM, and AFM. Very thin modified layers were created, which are resistant to hydrolysis and delamination. These titanium surface functionalizations were found to have either an antimicrobial activity or cell-adhesive properties. Intramuscular implantation of titanium samples coated with the cell-adhesive plasma polymer in rats revealed a reduced inflammation reaction compared to uncoated titanium.

Deposition of Antimicrobial Copper-Rich Coatings on Polymers by Atmospheric Pressure Jet Plasmas

Inanimate surfaces serve as a permanent reservoir for infectious microorganisms, which is a growing problem in areas in everyday life. Coating of surfaces with inorganic antimicrobials, such as copper, can contribute to reduce the adherence and growth of microorganisms. The use of a DC operated air plasma jet for the deposition of copper thin films on acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) substrates is reported. ABS is a widespread material used in consumer applications, including hospitals. The influence of gas flow rate and input current on thin film characteristics and its bactericidal effect have been studied. Results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy confirmed the presence of thin copper layers on plasma-exposed ABS and the formation of copper particles with a size in the range from 20 to 100 nm, respectively. The bactericidal properties of the copper-coated surfaces were tested against Staphylococcus aureus. A reduction in growth by 93% compared with the attachment of bacteria on untreated samples was observed for coverage of the surface with 7 at. % copper.

Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas for Decontamination of Complex Medical Devices

Atmospheric pressure plasma sources produce a multiplicity of different antimicrobial agents and are applicable to even complicated geometries as well as to heat sensitive materials. Thus, atmospheric pressure plasmas have a huge potential for the decontamination of even complex medical devices like central venous catheters and endoscopes. In this paper we present practicable realizations of atmospheric pressure plasma sources, namely plasma jet, dielectric barrier discharge and microwave driven discharge that are able to penetrate fine lumen or are adaptable to difficult geometries. Furthermore, the antimicrobial efficacy of these sources is given for one example setup in each case.

DC Operated Air Plasma Jet for Antimicrobial Copper Coatings on Temperature Labile Surfaces

Atmospheric pressure plasmas are an appealing alternative for surface treatments. An advantage offered by nonthermal plasmas in particular is the modification of temperature sensitive materials. Here, we present copper coatings on acrylonitrile butadiene styrene that were achieved with a nonthermal dc operated air plasma jet.

Electrochemical Assessment of Cu-PIII Treated Titanium Samples for Antimicrobial Surfaces

Titanium implant surfaces should ideally be designed to promote the attachment of target tissue cells. At the same time they should prevent bacterial adhesion, achievable through specific modification strategies. Copper could be well-suited as an antimicrobial finish, since it combines good antimicrobial properties with a certain bio-tolerance with regard to eukaryotic cells. In the present contribution, we evaluate electrochemical results of antimicrobial titanium surfaces generated by the insertion of copper. The surface was prepared via copper implantation into the titanium subsurface by means of plasma-immersion ion implantation (Cu-PIII) until a depth of about 30 nm. The amount and profile of copper ion implantation was changed by variation of the pulse length which was equivalent to the duty cycles of 0.2 % up to 90 %. Specimens containing 3 – 12 % copper (XPS) were used for electrochemical investigations with the help of the mini cell system in 0.9 % NaCl solution. The change in the shape of cyclic voltammograms demonstrated an alteration of the electrochemical behaviour. Copper oxidation peaks appeared in copper-implanted samples and their height was proportional to the copper concentration. These peaks are related to an electrochemical activity and not suppressed by the superficial titanium oxidation.

Plasma based technologies for reprocessing of medical devices, endoscopes and catheters

Summary form only given. Medical endoscopes are most complex and expensive devices for intracorporeal diagnostic and surgery. A treatment with such a device always includes the risk of endoscopic associated nosocomial infections. A consequent infection prophylaxis mainly includes safe cleaning and sterilization methods for the endoscopes. Conventional used chemical gases are mostly toxic as well as carcinogenic and therefore special safety conditions have to be fulfilled. Furthermore, those agents lead to material damage and biocompatibility difficulties. Cold atmospheric pressure plasmas have a huge potential for the sterilization of such complex medical devices and therefore are of great scientific and hygienic interest.

A Cell-Adhesive Plasma Polymerized Allylamine Coating Reduces the In Vivo Inflammatory Response Induced by Ti6Al4V Modified with Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation of Copper

Copper (Cu) could be suitable to create anti-infective implants based on Titanium (Ti), for example by incorporating Cu into the implant surface using plasma immersion ion implantation (Cu-PIII). The cytotoxicity of Cu might be circumvented by an additional cell-adhesive plasma polymerized allylamine film (PPAAm). Thus, this study aimed to examine in vivo local inflammatory reactions for Ti6Al4V implants treated with Cu-PIII (Ti-Cu), alone or with an additional PPAAm film (Ti-Cu-PPAAm), compared to untreated implants (Ti). Successful Cu-PIII and PPAAm treatment was confirmed with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Storage of Ti-Cu and Ti-Cu-PPAAm samples in double-distilled water for five days revealed a reduction of Cu release by PPAAm. Subsequently, Ti, Ti-Cu and Ti-Cu-PPAAm samples were simultaneously implanted into the neck musculature of 24 rats. After 7, 14 and 56 days, peri-implant tissue was retrieved from 8 rats/day for morphometric immunohistochemistry of different inflammatory cells. On day 56, Ti-Cu induced significantly stronger reactions compared to Ti (tissue macrophages, antigen-presenting cells, T lymphocytes) and to Ti-Cu-PPAAm (tissue macrophages, T lymphocytes, mast cells). The response for Ti-Cu-PPAAm was comparable with Ti. In conclusion, PPAAm reduced the inflammatory reactions caused by Cu-PIII. Combining both plasma processes could be useful to create antibacterial and tissue compatible Ti-based implants.

Plasma-deposited fluorocarbon polymer films on titanium for preventing cell adhesion: a surface finishing for temporarily used orthopaedic implants

The design of a titanium implant surface should ideally support its later application in clinical use. Temporarily used implants have to fulfil requirements different from permanent implants: they should ensure the mechanical stabilization of the bone stock but in trauma surgery they should not be integrated into the bone because they will be removed after fracture healing. Finishing of the implant surface by a plasma-fluorocarbon-polymer (PFP) coating is a possible approach for preventing cell adhesion of osteoblasts. Two different low pressure gas-discharge plasma processes, microwave (MW 2.45 GHz) and capacitively coupled radio frequency (RF 13.56 MHz) plasma, were applied for the deposition of the PFP film using a mixture of the precursor octafluoropropane (C3F8) and hydrogen (H2). The thin films were characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, and water contact angle measurements. Cell culture experiments show that cell adhesion and spreading of MG-63 osteoblasts were clearly reduced or nonexistent on these surfaces, also after 24 h of storage in the cell culture medium. In vivo data demonstrated that the local inflammatory tissue response for the PFP films deposited in MW and RF plasma were comparable to uncoated controls.