@conference{
author = "Sourkouni, G. and Kalogirou, Ch. and Papadimitriou, N. and Nenadović, Marija and Ponjavić, Marijana and Argirusis, N. and Pandis, P. and Rajasekaran, D. and Padamati, R. and Ferraro, A. and Nikodinović-Runić, Jasmina and Argirusis, Chr.",
year = "2023",
abstract = "Plastics are artificial synthetic organic polymers that have been used in every area of daily life. However, because of their slow degradation rate, their use
is contentious. The treatment of the surface of the sample is considered necessary as enzymatic or bacterial attach is not possible, if the plastic surface
environment is not ideal. The main topic of this work is the investigation of the effect of atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on the near
surface structure of polylactic acid (PLA) samples, which, in turn, can promote the adhesion of enzymes or bacteria for further biodegradation. In general,
plasma processes can already be considered as inherently environmental technologies.
Plasma processes enable resource saving through high energy utilization efficiency and thus, are environ-mentally friendly technologies. Atmospheric
pressure discharges (APDs) are useful because of their specific advantages over low-pressure ones. They do not need expensive vacuum equipment, and
generate nonthermal plasmas, which are more suitable for assembly line processes. Hence, this category of discharges has significant industrial
applications. The use of a dielectric barrier in the discharge gap helps prevent spark formation. DBDs exhibit two major discharge modes: filamentary and
glow (homogeneous). The glow discharge mode has obvious advantages over the filamentary one for applications such as treatment of surfaces and
deposition of thin films. Glow mode discharges with average power densities comparable to those of filamentary discharges are of enormous interest for
applications in which reliable control is required.
Here we will present the increased adhesion of bacteria strains on DBD plasma treated PLA foils which can lead to a better degradation of the PLA. X-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements of the foils prior to and after the treatment proved the changes on the polymer surface. A short
discussion of the possibilities the treatment opens is given.",
journal = "10th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management Chania",
title = "Plasma assisted bio-degradation of poly-lactic acid (PLA)",
volume = "10",
url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_imagine_2024"
}
