Abstract
A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite with multi-walled carbon nanotubes was successfully prepared. Composite foils were treated with both plasma and excimer laser, and changes in their physicochemical properties were determined in detail. Mainly changes in surface chemistry, wettability, and morphology were determined. The plasma treatment of PDMS complemented with subsequent heating led to the formation of a unique wrinkle-like pattern. The impact of different laser treatment conditions on the composite surface was determined. The morphology was determined by AFM and LCM techniques, while chemical changes and chemical surface mapping were studied with the EDS/EDX method. Selected activated polymer composites were used for the evaluation of antibacterial activity using Gram-positive (Staphylococcus epidermidis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. The antibacterial effect was achieved against S. epidermidis on pristine PDMS treated with 500 mJ of laser energy and PDMS-C nanocomposite treated with a lower laser fluence of 250 mJ. Silver deposition of PDMS foil increases significantly its antibacterial properties against E. coli, which is further enhanced by the carbon predeposition or high-energy laser treatment.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutralNanotube composites, in which nanotubes are dispersed in a soft matrix, typically a polymer, are recently very attractive for practical applications owing to their unique properties combining the advantages of both materials
The first step of this work was to characterize the pristine PDMS foil; we focused on the surface morphology of a prepared pristine PDMS polymer
Based on our previous experience with heat and plasma treatment of either pristine, doped, or plasma-modified polymer foils [40], we proceeded with the aforementioned surface treatments accompanied by high-energy excimer laser treatment
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutralNanotube composites, in which nanotubes are dispersed in a soft matrix, typically a polymer, are recently very attractive for practical applications owing to their unique properties combining the advantages of both materials. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are long cylindrical structures composed of typically ordered carbon atoms (similar to fullerenes). They are classified as single-wall CNTs (SWCNTs), double-wall. CNTs (DWCNTs), and multiwall CNTs (MWCNTs) [1]. They were first discovered in 1985 as a by-product of graphite vaporization. SWCNTs by definition have a single wall, their diameter is around 1 nm, and their length is in the micrometer scale. It is a layer of graphite, one atom thick, called graphene, “rolled” into a seamless hollow cylinder [3] with the ends mostly “clogged”. SWCNTs are more flexible than MWCNTs but more complex to manufacture
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