Multifunctional surfaces through nanostructured plasma coatings

Nanostructured surfaces are of great interest, since they provide a high surface area. A high functionality can thus be obtained by ultrathin coatings. Plasma polymerization of hydrocarbons mixed with reactive gases was used in a regime where both deposition and etching processes took place yielding a nanoporous, crosslinked network with accessible functional groups. Using plasma co-sputtering of a silver target, Ag nanoparticles can be in-situ embedded within the growing plasma polymer yielding a well-defined size and distribution of nanoparticles at the coating surface. Hence, an anti-microbial activity was achieved. Multifunctional textile surfaces can thus be obtained by adjusting combined properties such as wettability, functional group density as well as anti-bacterial and bio-responsive surfaces.