Researchers at the West Pomeranian University of Technology began working on an idea to use Bacterial Cellulose to make filters for masks and other PPE. This would offer a more sustainable path, because the material is biodegradable, whilst also having minimal land impact (vs. say cotton).
When it came to improving antiviral/antimicrobial properties of the filters, they explored material functionalization using Henniker’s HPT-100 plasma system. Aided by our European technical sales manager Grace Law, they were able to optimise the process below.
Functionalization of BC-bM. The BC-bMs were functionalized with a low-pressure argon plasma (LPP-Ar) using the HPT-100 Benchtop Plasma Treater (Henniker Plasma, UK). The gas flow and power were held constant at 10 sccm (chamber pressure ~0.6 mbar) and 100% power (100 W). The treatment time was varied from 1 to 30 min. No solvents, no waste, great results.
You can read the pre-print article here https://t.co/VYcIdgkKkO.
