Wettability and Water Uptake Improvement in Plasma-Treated Alfalfa Seeds

The cultivation of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), a forage crop grown worldwide, is negatively affected by hard seed presence. We show that treatment of alfalfa seeds with an inductively coupled radio frequency oxygen plasma improves their surface hydrophilicity, as determined by water contact angle (WCA) measurements and water uptake. Furthermore, we see that these effects are mediated by functionalization and etching of the alfalfa seed surface. Surface chemistry is analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), while morphology is viewed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Plasma produces effective alfalfa seed hydrophilization with a variety of treatment parameters. With its potential for fine-tuning, plasma modification of seed wettability shows promise for introduction into agricultural practice.

Oxygen-plasma-assisted formaldehyde adsorption mechanism of SnO2 electrospun fibers

Abstract: Chemisorbed oxygen acts a crucial role in the redox reaction of semiconductor gas sensors, and which is of great significance for improving gas sensing performance. In this study, an oxygen-plasma-assisted technology is presented to enhance the chemisorbed oxygen for improving the formaldehyde sensing performance of SnO2 electropun fiber. An inductively coupled plasma device was used for oxygen plasma treatment of SnO2 electrospun fibers. The surface of SnO2 electrospun fibers was bombarded with high-energy oxygen plasma for facilitating the chemisorption of electronegative oxygen molecules on the SnO2 (110) surface to obtain an oxygen-rich structure. Oxygen-plasma-assisted SnO2 electrospun fibers exhibited excellent formaldehyde sensing performance. The formaldehyde adsorption mechanism of oxygen-rich SnO2 was investigated using density functional theory. After oxygen plasma modification, the adsorption energy and the charge transfer number of formaldehyde to SnO2 were increased significantly. And an unoccupied electronic state appeared in the SnO2 band structure, which could enhance the formaldehyde adsorption ability of SnO2. The gas sensing test revealed that plasma-treated SnO2 electrospun fibers exhibited excellent gas sensing properties to formaldehyde, low operating temperature, high response sensitivity, and considerable cross-selectivity. Thus, plasma modification is a simple and effective method to improve the gas sensing performance of sensors.

On the influence of ion-plasma treatment on the surface properties of reinforcing fillers

This article presents the results of a study of the hydrophilic properties of VMPS-10 84x4 glass filaments and SYT-49S 12K carbon tows. It has been found that the contact angle of glass and carbon fibers, which decreases after ion-plasma treatment, returns to its original values within 8 days. The capillarity values of both types of fibers increase irreversibly, but for carbon fibers, we observe a more significant change in this parameter. In the course of studying the microstructure of the surface of filler fibers before and after processing, it was found that all samples were uniformly covered with a film of an active lubricant with a microdispersed structure; however, for glass fibers, the size of the sizing particles increased during processing, and for carbon fibers, it decreased. In addition, thermophysical studies of the used reinforcing fillers were carried out, and it was found that during the ion-plasma modification, the erosion of the sizing film occurred.