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We present highly stretchable polypyrrole (PPy)/polydimethylsiloxane strain sensors of highly improved sensitivity and durability fabricated by a chemical oxidative polymerization with oxygen plasma treatment (O2 PT). In this study, O2 PT was performed for 30, 60, and 90 s at each growth stage of the PPy film in three steps to investigate the effects on the sensor performance as well as the microstructural properties of the PPy films. Bonding characteristics with underlying layers and resistance to microcrack generation of the multi-layer PPy films under our given strained state were significantly enhanced by the O2 PT. The best sensor performance in terms of sensitivity and stability were achieved by PT for 30 s with a maximum gauge factor of ~438 at a uniaxial strain of 50%, excellent durability over 500 stretching/release cycles, and a fast response time of ~50 ms.

In this work, we studied the effect of silver nanoparticles on the IR absorption mechanism in Ag/Ag 2 O composites. Ag/Ag 2 O composites were prepared by exposing silver films prepared by thermal evaporation to oxygen plasma afterglow. The infrared spectra of these samples were analysed. The results obtained showed that, the individual silver nanoparticles affect the vibrations of chemical bonds in Ag/Ag 2 O composites, and this is inferred from the gradual decrease in intensity when moving towards lower wavenumbers. In addition, it was found that the effect of individual silver nanoparticles is greatest in the frequency range of Ag-O bond vibrations and becomes weaker in the case of bonds with higher vibration energies.

Carbon cloth (CC)-based electrodes have attracted extensive attention for next-generation wearable energy-storage devices due to their excellent electrical conductivity and mechanical flexibility. However, the application of conventional CC-based electrodes for zinc (Zn) storage severely hinders Zn ion transport and induces deleterious Zn dendrite growth, resulting in poor electrochemical reliability. Herein, a novel oxygen plasma-treated carbon cloth (OPCC) is rationally designed as a current collector for flexible hybrid Zn ion supercapacitors (ZISs). The modified interface of OPCC with abundant oxygenated groups enables enhanced electrolyte wettability and uniform superficial electric field distribution. A prolonged working lifespan for Zn electrodeposition is achieved by the OPCC due to the improved interfacial kinetics and homogenized ion gradient. The as-prepared hybrid ZIS also delivers excellent cycling endurance (98.5% capacity retention for 1500 cycles) with outstanding operation stability under various extreme conditions. This facile surface modification strategy provides a new way for developing future flexible electrodes for wearable electronic products. Graphical Abstract

In this paper, we report oxidation time effect on highly porous silver oxide nanowires thin films fabricated using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and oxygen plasma etching method. The NW’s morphological, electrical, and optical properties were investigated under different plasma etching periods and the number of deposition cycles. The increase of plasma etching and oxidation time increases the surface roughness of the Ag NWs until it fused to form a porous thin film of silver oxide. AgNWs based thin films were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and UV–Vis spectroscopy techniques. The obtained results indicate the formation of mixed mesoporous Ag 2 O and AgO NW thin films. The Ag 2 O phase of silver oxide appears after 300 s of oxidation under the same conditions, while the optical transparency of the thin film decreases as plasma etching time increases. The sheet resistance of the final film is influenced by the oxidation time and the plasma application periodicity. Graphic abstract

Hydrophobic and oleophilic Si-based cotton fabrics have recently gained a lot of attention in oil/water separation due to their high efficiency. In this study, we present the effect of O2 plasma pre-treatment on the final properties of two Si-based cotton membranes obtained from dip coating and plasma polymerization, using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as starting polymeric precursor. The structural characterizations indicate the presence of Si bond on both the modified cotton surfaces, with an increase of the carbon bond, assuring the success in surface modification. On the other hand, employing O2 plasma strongly changes the cotton morphology, inducing specific roughness and affecting the hydrophobicity durability and separation efficiency. In particular, the wettability has been retained after 20 laundry tests at 40 °C and 80 °C, and, for separation efficiency, even after 30 cycles, an improvement in the range of 10–15%, both at room temperature and at 90 °C can be observed. These results clearly demonstrate that O2 plasma pre-treatment, an eco-friendly, non-toxic, solvent-free, and one-step method for inducing specific functionalities on surfaces, is very effective in enhancing the oil/water separation properties for Si-based cotton membranes, especially in combination with plasma polymerization procedure for Si-based deposition.

Oxygen plasma etching has been performed to roughen the surface structure of an Al-doped ZnO (AZO) seed layer. The distribution of Ag nanoparticles was optimized to improve the characteristics of a film and facilitate its application as a touch sensing electrode. First, an intermittent procedure was performed to optimize the quality of the AZO seed layer. After the optimal parameters were obtained according to the figure-of-merit, the surface of the seed layer was roughened, and the depth of surface roughening was affected by adjusting the etching power of the oxygen plasma, and the surface roughness uniformity was affected by adjusting the etching time. Finally, by changing the etching oxygen flow rate, the width of the rough structure was further affected. The above three steps can optimize the surface roughness structure and effectively improve the uniform distribution of Ag nano-particles. To improve the sensitivity (SE) and stability (ST) of the film, the density of nano-Ag particles was modulated. The characteristics of film carriers were measured with a Hall effect analyzer. The surface morphology of the seed layer and the crystallinity change of the film were examined using electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The results revealed that a favorable film quality was achieved by performing three intermittent procedures. When the AZO seed layer surface was etched with a power of 50 W for 5 min, a 50-sccm etching oxygen flow and a 90-W nano-Ag deposition power were applied for 20 s, the density and distribution of the nano-Ag particles was favorable, and the SE and ST of the film were optimal. Under these conditions, the film’s resistance was 3.21 × 10−3 Ω-cm, its SE was 45.04%–52.48%, and its ST error was within 7.44%.

Plasma oxidation for 14C sampling utilizes low-pressure (133 Pa), low-energy (<50 W), and low- temperature (<50°C) Ar- and O2-plasmas generating CO2 for AMS dating. O2-plasmas on empty chambers remove organic contamination. When clean, a new specimen is inserted and Ar-plasmas dislodge adsorbed atmospheric CO2 from surfaces. Finally, O2-plasmas oxidize organic materials to CO2 for AMS analysis. During some Ar-plasmas we observed anomalous pressure increases and unexpectedly high CO2. Residual gas analysis detected water, hydrogen and oxygen species with Ar and CO2 indicating water plasmas that produced excited oxygen species that prematurely oxidized specimen organic matter. Evolution of excess CO2 during Ar cleaning compromises the ability to affirm that atmospheric CO2 was removed. Standards, TIRI Belfast Pine and VIRI I Whalebone, were dated to determine whether water-induced oxidation was a confounding influence in dating. TIRI wood was sampled twice, once a water-soaked specimen in an Ar plasma and once with water-vapor-plasma only. The TIRI dates agreed with six earlier dates on usual specimens. A colloidal extract from VIRI I whale bone was also sampled and dated twice using both water–plasma oxidation in an Ar-plasma and in an O2-plasma. Dating agreement suggests that water plasmas do not pose undue risks of contamination.

The variation of gene expression of seeds or leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana was investigated by irradiation with oxygen and air plasmas. The irradiation with oxygen plasma reported on the growth promotion and induced the consequence of gene expression in plant cells by neutral active oxygen species. The increase in leaf area ratio by oxygen plasma to seeds was due to epigenetics such as activation of DNA demethylation transcription factors and the growth enhancement effect induced by the plasma irradiation of seeds was inherited by next-generation cells through cell division even after germination. In oxygen irradiation for 10 s, expression of each de-DNA methylation-related gene increased, and DNA methylation-related genes decreased in expression. DNA acetylation that induces gene expressions was suppressed. However, irradiated for 20 s by oxygen, both demethylation suppression and promotion and methylation/acetylation suppression and promotion were obtained. On the other hand, methylation and demethylation may occur at the same time but were not significant and the acetylation was suppressed by air plasma irradiation. In both cases, active oxygen species was the key factor for the variation of gene expression.

The combinations of alumina particle air abrasion (AA) and a 10-methacryloyloxyidecyl-dihyidrogenphosphate (MDP) primer and a tribochemical silica coating (TSC) and a silane–base primer are contemporary pre-cementation treatments for zirconia restorations for bonding with resin cements. However, the stability of zirconia resists the mechanical or chemical preparations. The purpose of this study was to develop an atmospheric-pressure oxygen plasma (OP)-aided silicatization method to enhance the adhesion of resin cements to zirconia. Zirconia discs were prepared to receive surface treatments of different combinations: (1) AA or TSC (2) with or without OP treatment, and (3) a chemical primer (no primer, silane, or a silane–MDP mixture). The surface morphology, hydrophilicity, and chemical compositions were characterized, and the resin–zirconia bond strengths were examined either after 24 h or a thermocycling test. The results indicated that the OP treatment after the TSC facilitated the homogeneous distribution of silane and crosslinking of silica particles, and effectively improved the hydrophilicity. The OP increased the O and Si and reduced the C elemental contents, while the combination of TSC, OP, and silane induced SiOx generation. Among the groups, only the TSC-OP–silane treatment effectively enhanced the bond strength and maintained the adhesion after thermocycling. With these results, the OP aided the silicatization protocol effectively, generated silane crosslinking, and resulted in superior resin–zirconia bond strength and durability compared to the current treatments.

This study systematically investigated the effects of oxygen plasma treatment on oxygen vacancy defects in sputtered β-gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) films and their corresponding ultraviolet (UV) detection performance. The sputtered β-Ga2O3 film subjected to 1 min of oxygen plasma treatment exhibited optimal photodetection properties. Compared to the untreated sample, the dark current was reduced by approximately one order of magnitude to 0.378 pA at 10 V bias. It exhibited an 86% (from 2.92 s to 0.41 s) decrease in response time, a 41.6% increase in photocurrent, a very high photo-to-dark current ratio of 9.18 × 105, and a specific detectivity of 2.62 × 1010 cm·Hz1/2W−1 under 254 nm UV illumination intensity of 799 μW/cm2 at 10 V bias. Notably, appropriate oxygen plasma treatment minimizes electron capture, enhances the separation and collection of photogenerated carriers, and suppresses the persistent photoconductivity (PPC) effect, thus ultimately shortening the response time. Oxygen plasma processing thus provides an effective approach to fabricating high-performance β-Ga2O3 solar-blind photodetectors (SBPDs).