Low-temperature Plasma Treatment Research Articles

Endoscopic Hemostasis in Porcine Gastrointestinal Tract Using CO2 Low-Temperature Plasma Jet

BackgroundRecently, atmospheric low-temperature plasma (LTP) has attracted attention as a novel medical tool that might be useful for achieving hemostasis. However, conventional plasma sources are too big for use with endoscopes, and the efficacy of LTP for achieving hemostasis in cases of gastrointestinal bleeding is difficult to investigate. In this study, to solve the problem, we developed a 3D-printed LTP jet that has a diameter of 2.8 mm and metal body for endoscopic use. The characteristics, hemostasis efficacy, and safety were investigated. Materials and methodsOn investigating the basic characteristics of the developed plasma jet, the electron densities, gas temperatures, and reactive species were measured by emission spectroscopy and thermocouple. To evaluate the efficacy of such hemostatic treatment, porcine gastrointestinal bleeding was treated with the device. In addition, to investigate the safety of such treatment, the CO2 LTP-treated tissue was compared with tissue that was treated with clipping-based or argon plasma coagulation–based hemostasis for 5 d, and hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to evaluate tissue damage in the treated regions. ResultsThe measurement of emission spectroscopy, power, and electron density of various gas plasmas suggested that a high-density (1014 cm−3) LTP of CO2 was generated by the LTP jet, and the gas temperature was 41.5°C at 3 mm from the outlet of the LTP jet. The CO2 LTP achieved hemostasis of oozing blood by 70 ± 20 s. In addition, the CO2 LTP resulted in earlier recovery than clipping-based or argon plasma coagulation–based hemostases, and the treated regions had no damage by the CO2 LTP treatment. ConclusionsThese results indicated that the developed LTP plasma jet has the potential to be used for endoscopic hemostasis.

Lateral force microscopy as a method of surface control after low-temperature plasma treatment

The surface properties of titanium, silicon, and a two-layer polymer film PMF-351 are studied after the action of a low-temperature plasma of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). It is established that such treatment leads to the surface cleaning. This is evidenced by the values of roughness. The friction coefficient Cfr is selected as a characteristic that allows the time variation of surface properties after the plasma treatment. Cfr is determined using lateral forces regime of atomic force microscopy. The dependences of the friction coefficient Cfr on time for titanium, silicon, and a two-layer polymeric film PMF-351 are obtained. The best effect after treatment with low-temperature plasma persists for the first 20-30 minutes for titanium and a polymer film, and 5 minutes for silicon.

Combating the Tribo-Corrosion of LDX2404 Lean Duplex Stainless Steel by Low Temperature Plasma Nitriding

A lean duplex stainless steel, LDX2404, was DC plasma nitrided under a range of treatment conditions. The microstructure characterisation evaluation of the treated samples revealed that a dense, super-hard surface layer can be produced by low-temperature (<450 °C) plasma treatments. The original austenite phase became S-phase and the ferrite phase was supersaturated with nitrogen and ε-Fe3N nitride precipitated from it. When plasma nitriding was carried out at above 450 °C, chromium nitrides precipitated in the surface nitrided layer. Compared to the untreated samples, the surface hardness of the lean duplex stainless steel (DSS) is increased up to four times. The dry wear resistance increased when increasing the treatment temperature. In contrast, the low-temperature treated samples showed the best performance in the electrochemical corrosion and corrosion-wear tests; the performance of the high temperature (>450 °C) plasma nitrided samples was found to be significantly worse than that of the untreated material.

Improved CO2 separation performance of composite membrane with the aids of low-temperature plasma treatment

In this paper, Pebax and Pebax-Tripropionin (TPP) blend multilayer composite membranes were firstly prepared with the aids of low-temperature plasma treatment, and the CO2/N2 separation properties of the prepared composite membranes were studied. For multilayer composite membranes, PDMS gutter layer was modified with low-temperature plasma of air. The surface properties of the modified PDMS gutter layer (PDMS-plasma) were characterized by contact angle and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). After treatment, the polar groups were formed on the surface of PDMS and made it hydrophilic, then a defect-free thin Pebax selective layer was successfully formed on PDMS-plasma gutter layer. The CO2 permeance and CO2/N2 selectivity of Psf/PDMS-plasma/Pebax composite membrane were 170 GPU and 49 respectively. Moreover, TPP was blended with Pebax to further enhance the CO2 permeation of the composite membranes, where TPP acted as a plasticizer and hindered the formation of hydrogen bonding in Pebax. The CO2 permeances of Psf/PDMS-plasma/Pebax-TPP blend composite membranes increased greatly with the increase of TPP content. And, the CO2 permeance of Psf/PDMS-plasma/Pebax-TPP (50 wt%) composite membrane was higher than 400 GPU, which was almost two and half times of that of composite membrane without TPP. The composite membranes prepared in this study showed good CO2/N2 separation performance.

Enhanced interfacial adhesion of aramid fiber III reinforced epoxy composites via low temperature plasma treatment

This paper investigated three process conditions in low temperature plasma treatment using orthogonal array experiments to optimize interfacial adhesion of aramid fiber (AF) III reinforced epoxy composite. The interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of the AF III in the epoxy was measured by single-fiber fragmentation test. Based on the range analysis results, the order of significant factors for IFSS is treatment power > treatment time > treatment pressure. The IFSS increased by 35.5% to 30.44 MPa under optimal conditions, which was found to be treatment power of 67.5 W, treatment time of 11 min, and treatment pressure of 2500 Pa. The interfacial reinforcing mechanism was explored by analyzing the surface morphology, chemical composition, wettability of the AF III, and the cross-section morphology of the broken single fiber-composite. Results indicated that Van der Waals’ force, interfacial friction, interfacial wettability and chemical bonding were responsible for the interfacial improvement.

The effects of surface modification using O2 low temperature plasma on chrome tanning properties of natural leather

Low temperature plasma technology has the characteristics of economy, pollution-free and high efficiency. The pioneering works were carried out by applying low temperature plasma to surface modification of natural leather and chrome tanning process, to reduce water pollution. The effects of oxygen low temperature plasma treatment on the micro-structure, chemical compositions and active groups of leather fiber were studied in this paper. The optimal low temperature plasma treatment time was 10 min, which had the maximal chrome exhausting value. The SEM results showed that the leather surface was etched rougher with time increasing. The contact angle measurements showed that the hydrophilic property of leather surface increased after low temperature plasma process. The XPS data showed that the O1s area ratios increased from 19.49% to 26.45%, the content of COOH roughly tripled after O2 low temperature plasma treatment for 10 min, and the surface chrome content increased from 1.09% to 1.31% after chrome tanning. Based on the above results, low temperature plasma technology may provide a new exploring method for high-exhaustion chrome tanning technology.

Physical and chemical properties of plasma treated crumb rubbers and high temperature characteristics of their rubberised asphalt binders

Compared with other polymer modified asphalts such as Styrene–butadiene-styrene (SBS) binders, crumb rubber modified asphalt has weak storage stability, which greatly limits its application. To improve its performances, crumb waste tire rubber (WTR) was pretreated by low temperature plasma (LTP) technology. The surface properties of plasma treated crumb WTR were characterised using dispersion and sedimentation test, contact angle measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The rheological properties of plasma treated crumb rubberised asphalt binders were investigated by means of dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) test. It was demonstrated that LTP treatment changed both the surface composition and roughness. The contact angle of pretreated crumb WTR dramatically fell from 107.7° to 4.7°. In addition, the Oil-wet Index value reduced from 9.08 to 2.60 s. The ATR-FTIR and XPS analysis results demonstrated that the oxygen atomic percent increased from 7.12% to 13.15%. Additionally, the penetration value of crumb rubber modified (CRM) binder decreased and softening point increased after treated with LTP technology. In addition, the rutting factor (G*/sin δ) increased and phase angle δ decreased performance grade and multiple stress creep recovery test results, indicating that the treated CRM binder owned a better resistance ability to deformation.

Effects of plasma-treated rock asphalt on the mechanical properties and microstructure of oil-well cement

In this study, natural rock asphalt with a high softening point was selected as an oil-well cement admixture. The effects of the asphalt, which was subjected to a low-temperature plasma treatment, on the mechanical properties and microstructure of the cement paste were investigated. The results show that the hydrophilicity of the surface of the rock asphalt, and the interfacial bonding between the asphalt and cement matrix were improved with the use of the low-temperature plasma technology. The addition of the treated rock asphalt reduced the compressive strength of the cement paste but improved its tensile strength. Triaxial stress-strain curves, obtained under static and multicycle loads, showed that the rock asphalt improved the toughness of the oil-well cement paste. The addition of the 3% rock asphalt obviously enhanced the mechanical deformability of the cement paste. The results of the scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that the rock asphalt can deflect cracks and prevent crack propagation. The ability to restrain crack propagation improved as the adhesion between the treated hydrophilic asphalt and matrix cement improved. The results of the nitrogen-adsorption tests and mercury-intrusion porosimetry tests showed that the incorporation of the rock asphalt reduced the number of harmful pores present within the cement composite. The results of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric (TG) analyses performed on the asphalt-cement composites showed that the asphalt slightly retards cement hydration.

Analysis of Oilfield Wastewater Treatment Effect Based on Low Temperature Plasma Treatment Process

In order to study the effect of different low temperature plasma treatment technology on the oil field's abolishment, the influence of low temperature plasma discharge frequency, scale inhibitor and the combined application of low temperature plasma and scale inhibitor on the quality of heavy oil wastewater and distilled water was analysed. When the discharge frequency of low temperature plasma was 900s-1, the decrease of oil content was 50.56%. The scale inhibitor also reduced the oil content of the heavy oil wastewater and the distilled water. However, the combined use of low temperature plasma and scale inhibitor would increase the content of oil and the content of metal ions in distilled water. The increase of oil content was 56%. The results showed that the low temperature plasma had obvious effect on reducing the oil content and SiO2 content in distilled water. Therefore, this study confirms the influence and mechanism of low-temperature plasma treatment on the quality of oil field wastewater.

Effect of RF plasma modification on electrical characteristics of collagen containing polymer materials surface

Artificial materials that used in the manufacture of textile industry products have increased static characteristic and electrical resistivity. The large electrical charge accumulated by them negatively affects the human body. The use of natural collagen containing polymer materials is the safest way to avoid unacceptable risk to human health. With the help of nonequilibrium low temperature plasma (NLTP) treatment of collagen materials under reduced pressure it is possible to achieve an additional reduction of the electric potential by scattering charges on the surface of genuine leather. Under certain conditions the main reason for the generation and accumulation of static electricity is the high hygroscopicity of the material. Hydrophobization of the surface of collagen containing materials is achieved through the use of a hydrophobizator and volumetric NLTP treatment. Plasma treatment of collagen containing polymer materials also increases their biological compatibility and antimicrobial properties, improving mechanical characteristics by changing the internal structure of the material.

Preparation of highly crystalline titanium-based ceramic microfibers from polymer precursor blend by needle-less electrospinning

The aim of the present contribution is to study the influence of the post-spinning heat - treatment of single TiO2/PVP precursor fibers on the properties and morphology of the final titanium-based microfibers. The post-spinning treatment conditions were: calcination in air at 450–600 °C and pyrolysis in argon at 1000–1700 °C. Calcination resulted in a production of anatase-rich and pure rutile fibers. The use of an alternative sintering method, the low-temperature plasma treatment, led to the crystallization of the composite Magnéli phases/polymer fibers. As a result of the same one precursor, pyrolysis at 1000 °C, the Carbon/TiO2 composite fibers were obtained. Rising the treatment temperature in inert atmosphere led to the formation of the titanium carbide fibers. The formation process and all the obtained products were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry accompanied with thermogravimetric analysis (DSC/TGA), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM, TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and image analysis techniques.

Surface modification of CeO2 nanoflakes by low temperature plasma treatment to enhance imine yield: Influences of different plasma atmospheres

Solvothermal synthesized CeO2 nanoflakes were plasma treated under different atmospheres (combination of Ar, H2, O2 and NH3), and further used for imine synthesis. The plasma processing can improve the amount of surface oxygen vacancies, Ce3+ ratio, and the peroxy anions O22− ratio. All the three parameters can influence the CeO2 catalytic ability of imine conversion to different extent. The plasma with working gas of H2 and/or O2 can increase the peroxy anions O22− ratio greatly (from 3.14% to about 40%), while the reducing condition (Ar + H2 and Ar + NH3 as working gas) can significantly improve the Ce3+ ratio (∼28.54%) and the surface oxygen vacancies. The reaction rate of imine synthesis can be improved up to 75% of the pristine CeO2 when Ar + H2 mixture gas was used as the plasma atmosphere. The amount of CeO2 surface oxygen vacancies is the most important parameter for imine conversion. The enhancement of catalytic ability can be mainly attributed to the improved surface oxygen vacancies and the Ce3+ ratio, and slightly to the rising of peroxy anions O22− ratio, although the value of the last parameter increased most.

Low-Temperature RF Plasma Treatment Effect on Junctionless Pd-Al2O3-Ingaas Misfet Operation

The junctionless (JL) device concept for silicon-on-insulator MOSFETs was introduced by Colinge et al. in 2010 [1], demonstrating considerable gains in terms of process simplicity when compared to conventional inversion-mode MOSFETs. The objective of this work is to implement the JL device concept in an In0.53Ga0.47As channel, where the SiO2 insulator in [1] is replaced by a wider bandgap p-type In0.52Al0.48As barrier layer and to investigate the effect of low-temperature RF hydrogen plasma treatment on the main electrical parameters of such devices. The JL device architecture is particularly well suited to III-V channel materials. Firstly, the high doping concentration (Nd) present in the channel of a JL MOSFET is less problematic for In0.53Ga0.47As than it is for Si. Indeed, the bulk electron mobility in Si is ~100 cm2/V·s at Nd = 1×1019 cm-3, while in In0.53Ga0.47As the bulk mobility is ~4,000 cm2/V·s at a similar Nd level. Moreover, the JL architecture circumvents the difficulties associated with the implantation or regrowth techniques generally used to form the source/drain (S/D) regions of III-V inversion-mode MOSFETs. However in order to form a good Ohmic S/D contacts it is necessary to anneal the device at 350-400°C that could lead to diffusion of In atoms into the gate dielectric. In this work low-temperature RF plasma treatment (RFPT) [2] is proposed to improve S/D contacts and enhance the properties of JL MOSFETs. A structure consisting of a 32-nm-thick n- In0.53Ga0.47As (Nd = 2×1018 cm-3) on a 500-nm-thick p-In0.52Al0.48As (Na = 8×1015 cm-3) barrier was grown by metal organic vapour-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) on a p+-InP wafer (Fig. 1 (a)). In order to form a channel for the JL devices, the In0.53Ga0.47As layer was thinned using a 10% H2O2/10% HCl digital wet etching process to achieve channel thicknesses of 24, 20 and 16 nm. A gate enclosed device layout was employed to simplify the fabrication process flow (Fig. 1(b-e)). A surface passivation in 10% (NH4)2S for 30 min was performed before atomic layer deposition (ALD) of an 8.5-nm-thick Al2O3 gate oxide. A Pd gate was formed by e-beam evaporation and lift-off. The Al2O3 on the S/D contact areas was etched in dilute HF. The S/D contact formation was performed by e-beam evaporation of a Au/Ge/Au/Ni/Au stack and lift-off. The RFPT (13.6 MHz) was performed in forming gas (10%H2+90%N2) with additional heating of the sample holder (up to 200°C). Temperature of the samples at the RFPT did not exceed 250°C [2]. Well behaved Id-Vg characteristics measured on the 24-nm-thick In0.53Ga0.47As channel device are shown in Fig. 2. A threshold voltage (VT) of -0.55 V was extracted using the second-derivative method. Scaling the In0.53Ga0.47As channel thickness down to 16 nm improved the subthreshold swing (SS) but degraded the maximum Id and ION/IOFF due to the combined effect of S/D series resistance (RSD) and mobility degradation. As a result, the lowest SS value (115 mV/dec) was extracted on the 16-nm-thick In0.53Ga0.47As channel device and 190 mV/dec - on the 24-nm-thick In0.53Ga0.47As channel one, but the highest ION/IOFF value (1.5×105) was obtained on the 20-nm-thick In0.53Ga0.47As channel device and 2.0×104 - on the 24-nm-thick In0.53Ga0.47As channel one. The gate-to-channel Cgc-Vg characteristic featured a low frequency dispersion near the accumulation region, suggesting a low density of interface traps (Dit) in the upper part of the In0.53Ga0.47As bandgap. Moreover, the conductance analysis yielded low Dit values ranging from 1.5×1012 to 3.5×1012 cm-2×eV-1 from the conductance band edge to midgap, correspondingly. Measurements of RSD on circular transfer length method (CTLM) structures yielded the value of 12 kOhm on the 20-nm-thick In0.53Ga0.47As channel devices and contacts were strongly rectifying. RF plasma treatment with power 0.5 W/cm2 at 150°C resulted in Ohmic SD contact, a strong decrease of RSD down to 45 Ohm (Fig. 3) and increases the ION by two orders of magnitude (Fig. 2). Additionally, SS for the plasma treated devices decreases from 190 mV/dec to 150 mV/dec, and the threshold voltage shifts to positive values by 0.4 V (Fig.2). This is associated, correspondingly, with a decrease of Dit and negative charge in the gate dielectric. The conductance analysis yielded reduction of Dit at midgap down to 1.0×1012 cm-2×eV-1. [1] Colinge J.-P., Lee C.-W., Afzalian A., Akhavan N.D., Yan R., Ferain I., Razavi P., O'Neill B., Blake A., White M., Kelleher A.-M., McCarthy B., Murphy R. Nanowire Transistors Without Junctions. Nature Nanotechnology. Vol. 5, P. 225-229 (2010). [2] Nazarov A.N., Lysenko V.S., Nazarova T.M. Hydrogen Plasma Treatment of Silicon Thin-film Structures and Nanostructured Layers. Semiconductor Physics, Quantum Electronics & Optoelectronics. Vol. 11, P. 101-123 (2008). Figure 1

Low-Temperature RF Plasma Treatment Effect on Junctionless Pd-Al2O3-InGaAs MISFET Operation

The paper presents the results of a study focused on the effect of low-temperature RF plasma treatment on the operation of In0.53Ga0.47As channel MOSFETs fabricated using a junctionless design. Plasma annealing was found to substantially improve the source/drain contacts leading to a sharp increase of ON-state current of the transistors. The effect of RF plasma on threshold voltage and on the distribution of the density of interface states within the semiconductor bandgap is also reported.

Surface Characterization of Plasma-treated Eucalyptus Alkaline Peroxide Mechanical Pulp using Electronic Spectroscopy Chemical Analysis and Atomic Force Microscopy

Eucalyptus alkaline peroxide mechanical pulp (APMP) fibers were modified by a low-temperature plasma (LTP) treatment within an air and oxygen mixture. An atomic force microscope (AFM) and electronic spectroscopy chemical analysis (ESCA) were used to analyze the morphological and chemical information of eucalyptus APMP fibers. According to the AFM results, LTP treatment etched the fibers’ surface, allowing for the removal of hydrophobic substances from the surface. According to the ESCA, the oxygen to carbon ratio of the APMP fiber surface increased from 50.08% to 55.47%, and the C1 peak area decreased from 8.89% to 8.45% after a LTP treatment. All of these results indicate that a LTP treatment can modify the APMP fibers and reduce the contents of lignin and extractives, thus exposing more carbohydrate.

Low-temperature Plasma Promotes Fibroblast Proliferation in Wound Healing by ROS-activated NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Low-temperature plasma (LTP) has shown great promise in wound healing, although the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. In the present study, an argon atmospheric pressure plasma jet was employed to treat L929 murine fibroblasts cultured in vitro and skin wounds in BALB/c mice. The in vitro analysis revealed that treatment of fibroblasts with LTP for 15 s resulted in a significant increase in cell proliferation, secretion of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor-βi (TGF-βi), production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the percentage of cells in S phase, protein expression of phosphorylated p65 (P-p65) and cyclinD1, but a noted decrease in the protein expression of inhibitor kappa B (IκB). The in vitro experiments demonstrated that 30-s LTP treatment enhanced the number of fibroblasts and the ability of collagen synthesis, while 50-s treatment led to the opposite outcomes. These results suggested that LTP treatment promotes the fibroblast proliferation in wound healing by inducing the generation of ROS, upregulating the expression of P-p65, downregulating the expression of IκB, and activating the NF-κB signaling pathway and consequently altering cell cycle progression (increased DNA synthesis in S phage).

Microarry Analysis Identifies Activation Of Multiple Signalling Pathways In Primary Prostate Epithelial Cells By Low Temperature Plasma

We have previously reported the killing effects of Low Temperature Plasma (LTP) on primary prostate epithelial cells, of both normal and cancerous origin, via necrosis [1] following initial DNA damage. However it was evident that a population of cells was resistant to LTP treatment. To discern possible survival mechanisms in treated cells; the gene expression of 6 samples (4 cancers and 2 matched normal) was analysed 2 hours post-treatment, on a transcriptome wide level, by microarray. Initial analysis found alteration in the expression of 646 transcripts with significant activation of Notch, NF-kB, Nrf2 and AP-1 signalling in our primary cells. Pathway activation was subsequently validated by qRT-PCR in four different patient-derived prostate cultures to give a robust LTP-induced expression signature. Upstream effector activation was then confirmed by immunofluorescence and Western blot. We found as other groups have; [2, 3] accumulation of Nrf2 in response to LTP, alongside AP-1 activation [4, 5] – through phosphorylation of both JNK and Jun. The Notch signalling pathway is typically described in relation to stem cell maintenance and we observed LTP induced Notch activation through release of its intracellular domain (NICD) that then acts as a nuclear transcription factor. Tumours are innately heterogeneous and contain multiple cell populations, both intrinsic and recruited. We have established that our cultures contain three readily identifiable epithelial cell pools that can be separated to permit further analysis.[6] Preliminary investigation has found that the progenitor epithelial cells respond in greater measure than their more differentiated progeny, suggesting that they are more resistant to plasma. Similar observations of prostate stem cell resistance have been made with radiotherapy.[7] However, if these stem-like cells can be targeted – LTP may have a greater killing effect if utilized in prostate cancer treatments. Download : Download high-res image (151KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure – Pathway activation in primary prostate cancer epithelial culture; Nrf2 accumulation, AP-1 activation by JNK and Jun phosphorylation and Notch cleavage, with release of NICD by LTP. U – Untreated, T- Treated. Samples taken 0.5 and 2 hours following treatment with 3 minutes LTP.

Low-temperature plasma treatment of carbon fibre/epoxy resin composite

ABSTRACTTo gain insight into bonded repairs, which are commonly applied to damaged composites, we herein investigate the effects of low-temperature plasma treatment on the surface properties of a carbon fibre/epoxy resin composite, revealing that this treatment enhances the bonding strength between the patch and damaged surface. Moreover, we probe the water contact angle, chemical composition, tensile-shear strength, and morphology of composite surfaces, showing that under optimal conditions, plasma treatment decreases the water contact angle from 78° to 35.5°, increases the surface energy by a factor of ∼2.3, and induces the formation of surface-bound oxygen-containing groups, increasing the O/C ratio by ∼70%. Compared to that of the untreated composite, the tensile-shear strength of the plasma-treated composite initially increases and subsequently decreases with increasing treatment time, with the maximum increase reaching 117%. Finally, the obtained experimental data allow the above-mentioned plasma treatment to be modelled by a four-stage process.

Effect of Atmospheric Low Temperature Plasma Treatment on Fracture Strength of Adhesively Bonded Joints of Fiber reinforced polypropylene

Effect of Atmospheric Low Temperature Plasma Treatment on Fracture Strength of Adhesively Bonded Joints of Fiber reinforced polypropylene

Effect of low-temperature plasma treatment of electrospun polycaprolactone fibrous scaffolds on calcium carbonate mineralisation.

This article reports on a study of the mineralisation behaviour of CaCO3 deposited on electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds preliminarily treated with low-temperature plasma. This work was aimed at developing an approach that improves the wettability and permeability of PCL scaffolds in order to obtain a superior composite coated with highly porous CaCO3, which is a prerequisite for biomedical scaffolds used for drug delivery. Since PCL is a synthetic polymer that lacks functional groups, plasma processing of PCL scaffolds in O2, NH3, and Ar atmospheres enables introduction of highly reactive chemical groups, which influence the interaction between organic and inorganic phases and govern the nucleation, crystal growth, particle morphology, and phase composition of the CaCO3 coating. Our studies showed that the plasma treatment induced the formation of O- and N-containing polar functional groups on the scaffold surface, which caused an increase in the PCL surface hydrophilicity. Mineralisation of the PCL scaffolds was performed by inducing precipitation of CaCO3 particles on the surface of polymer fibres from a mixture of CaCl2- and Na2CO3-saturated solutions. The presence of highly porous vaterite and nonporous calcite crystal phases in the obtained coating was established. Our findings confirmed that preferential growth of the vaterite phase occurred in the O2-plasma-treated PCL scaffold and that the coating formed on this scaffold was smoother and more homogenous than those formed on the untreated PCL scaffold and the Ar- and NH3-plasma-treated PCL scaffolds. A more detailed three-dimensional assessment of the penetration depth of CaCO3 into the PCL scaffold was performed by high-resolution micro-computed tomography. The assessment revealed that O2-plasma treatment of the PCL scaffold caused CaCO3 to nucleate and precipitate much deeper inside the porous structure. From our findings, we conclude that O2-plasma treatment is preferable for PCL scaffold surface modification from the viewpoint of use of the PCL/CaCO3 composite as a drug delivery platform for tissue engineering.