Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:30:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-06-28Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:06:19Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 pomin_e_me_bauru.pdf: 1750970 bytes, checksum: ef38ce8b8843e80e04940f9f7c10fa9a (MD5) / Nestre trabalho, Polietrafluroetileno (PTFE) foi tratado por três técnicas: (1) exposição a plasma com gases não polimerizáveis (Ar, He, H2, O2, e N2), num reator a plasma com arranjo capacitivo dos eletrodos, excitado por radiofrequencia (rf);(2) ablação em eletrodo de cobre excitado por rf, com subsequente implantação iônica e deposição por imersão em plasma (IIDIP); e (3) rf-magnetron sputterring associado com IIDIP. Investigaram-se os efeitos dos tratamento nas propriedades superficiais e elétricas do substrato. O objetivo foi reduzir a capacidade do PTFE à acumulação de cargas elétricas. As alterações de molhabilidade e energia de superfície foram obtidas por medida do ângulo de contato. A espessura e a rugosidade foram medidas por perfilometria e microscopia de força atômica (AFM). A estrutura e composição química da superfície foram analisadas por espectroscopia no infravermelho por tranformada de Fourier (FTIR) e espectroscopia de fotoelétrons de raios-X (XPS). A resistividade elétrica superficial foi medida através de eletrômetro pelo método dos dois pontos. As caracterizações demonstraram que a técnica (1) foi capaz de alterar as características superficiais do substrato em muitos aspectos, mas não foi suficiente para reduzir sua resistividade elétrica superficial. Para a técnica (2) os resultados de XPS revelaram a presença de cobre na superfície do substrato, mas em quantidade insuficiente para causar os efeitos de percolação desejados. Na técnica (3) partículas de cobre foram incorporadas nos substratos, formando filmes com espessura de até 4000 A e reduzindo a resistividade elétrica superficial em até oito ordens de grandeza. PTFE tratados por rf-magnetron sputtering com um cátodo de cobre perdeu sua habilidade de reter cargas eletrostáticas / In this work, polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE) was treated using three techniques: (1) plasma treatment with non-polymerizable gases (Ar, He, H2, O2 and N2), in a plasma reactor fitted with capacitive electrodes and excited by rf power; (2) ablation of a copper electrode excited by rf, with subsequent plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIIID); (3) rf-magnetron sputerring associated with PIIID. The effects of treatments on the electrical and surface properties of the substrates were investigated. The objective was to reduce the capacity of PTFE to accumulate surface electrical charges. Changes in wettability and surface energy were obtained by measuring the contact angle. Thicknesses and roughnesses were examined using profilometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The chemical structure of the surface was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Surface electrical resistivity was measured with an electrometer by applying the two-point method. The characterizations revealed that method (1) was able to alter the characteristics of the substrates in many respects, but not to significantly modify their surface electrical resistivity. After treatment by method (2), XPS results revealed the presence of copper on the substrate surface, but in insufficient quantify to cause the desired percolation effect. In method (3) copper particles were incorporated into the substrates to form films with thicknes of up to 4,000 A and the electrical surface resistivity was reduced by eight orders of magnitude. PTFE treated by rf-magnetron sputerring with a copper cathode los its ability to retain electrostatic charges

Neste trabalho se realiza a síntese e caracterização de nanofios de óxido de zinco. Adicionalmente se apresenta o processo de montagem de um dispositivo para medidas elétricas deste material. Estuda-se complementarmente o efeito do tratamento de plasma sobre as propriedades de fotoluminescência do material. Nanofios foram sintetizados pelo mecanismo vapor-líquido-sólido (VLS), utilizando ouro como catalizador e safira c-plane como substrato. As amostras foram caracterizadas utilizando microscopia eletrônica de varredura, fotoluminescência a temperatura ambiente, difração de raios X, e microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. Os nanofios obtidos têm seção transversal com formato quase hexagonal, e larguras de aproximadamente 46 nm. O comprimento deles varia de 3 a 10 μm. Os resultados de difração de raios x e microscopia eletrônica de transmissão mostram que eles são monocristalinos com rede cristalina tipo wurtzita, e com direção de crescimento no eixo c. Foram estudados os efeitos da potência de plasma de oxigênio (O2) na fotoluminescência dos nanofios a temperatura ambiente. A diferença na fotoluminescência após diferentes tratamentos de plasma de O2 mostra que a razão entre a emissão da região do band gap e da banda do visível pode ser modificada pelo tratamento. Este efeito corrobora com a hipótese de que a banda verde de luminescência está relacionada às vacâncias de zinco. A variação percentual da razão entre as duas regiões apresenta uma dependência linear com a potência do plasma. / In this work, we performed the synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide nanowires. We also report an assembly process to measure the electrical properties of this material. We study the plasma treatment effect on the photoluminescence spectra of the nanowires. Nanowires were synthesized via vapor-liquid-solid mechanism, using gold as catalyst and c-plane sapphire as substrate. The samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, room temperature photoluminescence, x-rays diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Our nanowires show a quasi-hexagonal cross section, with diameters of approximately 46 nm. Their lengths ranged from 3 to 10 μm. Our results show monocrystalline wurtzite crystal nanowires with c growth direction. We also study the plasma power effect of oxygen (O2) plasma treatment on the room temperature photoluminescence spectra of the nanowires. Our results show that the deep level emission to near band emission ratio decreases with the plasma treatment. This effect supports the hypothesis that claims the green band luminescence is related to the oxygen vacancies. Furthermore, the relative ratio change depends linearly on the plasma power.

Ces travaux de recherche s’inscrivent dans le cadre du développement de nouvelles surfaces biocompatibles capables de contrôler l’adhésion d’agents pathogènes responsables de maladies neurodégénératives telles que les maladies de Creutzfeld Jacob, Alzheimer, Parkinson et Lewis. Deux axes de recherche ont été privilégiés. Notre approche se focalise en amont des dosages sur l’amélioration des procédures de stockage des prélèvements biologiques réalisés dans des tubes de type Eppendorf. Ces tubes en polypropylène induisent une perte du matériel génétique de plus de 70% accentuant la faible concentration en agent pathogène pour la détection immunoenzymatique. Dans le but de réduire les phénomènes indésirables d’adhésion des agents pathogènes à la surface des supports de stockage, deux voies de traitement ont été envisagées dans ce travail de thèse. La première consiste à modifier la surface du tube Eppendorf en une étape par décharge plasma fluoré, la seconde à créer de nouvelles surfaces hydrophiles en deux étapes couplant la technique des plasmas froids au greffage de polymères, les agents pathogènes pouvant être hydrophiles ou hydrophobes. Avec cette dernière technique, une voie originale a été abordée de part l’utilisation de solutions de greffage complexes composées à la fois de polymères et de molécules tensioactives. Les surfaces ainsi obtenues présentent une nano-structuration. Toutes les étapes de modification de la surface interne des tubes de stockage ont été caractérisées. Ces surfaces sont alors décrites selon leur caractère hydrophile ou hydrophobe grâce à la détermination des énergies de surface polaire et apolaire, selon leur charge de surface obtenue par mesure du potentiel d’écoulement, selon leur composition chimique déterminée par spectroscopie à photoélectrons X (XPS) et enfin selon leur topographie et leur rugosité relevées par microscopie à force atomique (AFM). Les interactions entre les groupements fonctionnels ainsi obtenus à la surface des tubes de stockage après les divers traitements et les protéines antigéniques considérées ont été interprétées en se référant aux différents modèles de l’adhésion pour des gammes de pH proches des protocoles biologiques usuels. Afin de s’assurer que ces nouvelles surfaces permettent bien une diminution de l’adhésion des agents infectieux sur la paroi interne des tubes de polypropylène, des analyses immunoenzymatiques ont été réalisées au sein des centres hospitaliers participant au projet STREP NEUROSCREEN n° LSHB-CT 2006-03 7719 (CRPP de Liège et CHU de Lyon). Ces analyses ont permis de montrer que la modification des surfaces entraîne une diminution de l’absorption des agents pathogènes jusqu'à 100% permettant ainsi une meilleure détection. / The research work presented in this thesis considers the development of newµbiocompatible surfaces that are able to control the adhesion of specific proteins responsible for the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt–Jakob, Alzheimer, Parkinson and Lewis body disease. Our approach was focused on problems prior to the detection step, which were never considered before, particularly on the improvement of Eppendorf tubes that are used for the storage of body fluids like cerebrospinal fluid and blood. Namely these tubes made of polypropylene induce the depletion of biological material, in some cases even over 70%, resulting in a low concentration of these proteins for the further immunoenzymatic detection. With the purpose to reduce the adhesion of specific proteins on the surface of supports, two courses of treatments were anticipated. The first one consists of surface modification by highly reactive fluorine plasma treatment and the second one incorporates development of new hydrophilic surfaces by coupling two techniques, plasma activation and subsequent grafting of polymer materials. With the latter approach, an original way of surface modification has been attained by using complex solutions of polymers and surfactants that permits controlled configuration of nanostructured surfaces. All steps of surface modifications were well characterized by different physicochemical methods. The surface hydrophilic/hydrophobic character was determined by measurements of polar and apolar surface energy, surface charge by magnitude of zeta potential, surface chemistry was evaluated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), while the surface roughness and topography were monitored by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The interactions between functional groups of treated supports and proteins were interpreted referring to different models of adhesion established for a range of pH values close to the classical biological protocols. Finally, in order to validate that the new surfaces are able to prevent or decrease the adhesion of neurodegenerative agents on the surfaces of Eppendorf tubes, the immunoenzymatic analyses were carried out in hospital centres of partners that were participating to the project STREP NEUROSREEN n° LSHB-CT-2006-03 7719 (Centre de Recherche sur les Protéines Prion; Liege (ULG), Hospices Civils de Lyon (CHUL) and Lancaster University (L-UNI)). These analyses showed that the treatments led to a decrease of antigen adsorption up to 100%, enabling (allowing) better detection of pathogenic agents.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第22367号 / 医博第4608号 / 新制||医||1043(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 戸口田 淳也, 教授 妻木 範行, 教授 安達 泰治 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Plastics have become a universal material for use in a myriad of commercial and consumer products. One such product, exterior siding, is the focus of this project. Although siding products were originally made from wood, vinyl siding, which offered superior performance, was introduced in the 1950’s. More recently, polypropylene (PP) siding has been introduced; PP provides a stronger product, which allows for deeper patterns and better edge detailing. PP siding, compared to traditional wood siding, doesn’t warp, crack, or degrade as easily with extended exposure to the elements, and is cheaper to maintain. However, even plastic siding must be coated. The requirements of a coating for siding are good adhesion, durability, and a suitable appearance. However, polypropylene, like many plastics, has a low surface energy, making wetting and coating adhesion difficult. One of the many ways to increase the surface energy of polypropylene, thus increasing wettability and adhesion, is plasma treatment. The primary focus of this project was to study how plasma treatment improved adhesion of a water-reducible coating. This coating represented a product used in commercial siding. The surface tension of the panels was increased from ~30 dynes/cm to 60+ dynes/cm with plasma treatment. This increased the adhesion of the coating to the polypropylene panel from virtually no adhesion to almost perfect adhesion. Adhesion was tested according to ASTM D3359, the crosscut adhesion test. Pull-off adhesion testing (ASTM D4541-09) was also conducted, using a Deflesko PosiTest AT-A automatic adhesion tester. The average force needed to remove a dolly from a plasma treated panel was 233 ± 47 psi (1,605 ± 325 kPa), compared to 92 ± 26 psi (634 ± 179 kPa) for non-treated and corona treated panels. The sponsor of the project provided Cal Poly with 16 different compositions of polypropylene containing different amounts of UV stabilizers, adhesion promoters, and lubricants. The effect of substrate composition on coating adhesion and performance was measured. Crosscut adhesion testing results revealed all polypropylene compositions improved from virtually no adhesion to perfect adhesion after plasma treatment. Pull-off adhesion testing revealed the adhesion force of all compositions improved from less than 100 psi to greater than 200 psi. One polypropylene composition, Category 16, resulted in unusually high pull-off forces. This composition was investigated using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and FT-IR spectroscopy. XPS was used to examine the surface composition between non-treated and plasma treated PP panels. It was observed that plasma treatment provides a larger amount of oxygen species and nitrogen when compared to untreated panels. The category 16 panels did not reveal any significant surface differences compared to the category 7 panels (which represented the standard production material). FT-IR spectroscopy of the category 16 panels also showed no unusual characteristics. The secondary focus of this project was to study the durability of coated, plasma treated polypropylene siding. Accelerated weathering testing was conducted on 12 of the 16 different compositions of polypropylene. Changes in gloss and the LAB colorspace of coated, plasma treated polypropylene panels of different compositions, upon exposure to long-term weathering conditions, were monitored via ASTM G53 using a Q-Panel lab product QUV/se weathering tester. After 2400 hours, all PP compositions tested shared negligible changes in color, but the gloss of each category panel showed a steady increase. An approach to improve durability of siding is to apply a clearcoat over already coated PP panels. This approach was tested in a limited manner by adding a clearcoat to coated, plasma treated polypropylene panels. These panels were then exposed to a variety of common, household cleaning agents using a modified double rub test (ASTM D4752 and ASTM D5402). The samples with a clearcoat showed improved cleaning agent resistance compared to samples without the clearcoat.

Title: Plasma treatment of porous structures Author: Mykhailo Vaidulych Department / Institute: Department of Macromolecular Physics Supervisor of the doctoral thesis: Prof. Assist. Jan Hanuš, Ph.D., Department of Macromolecular Physics Abstract: The thesis is focused on the implementation of low-temperature plasma for the modification of porous materials. Two main strategies are involved: functionalization through the deposition of functional nanocomposite coatings and low-pressure plasma etching. In the first case, a gas-phase step-by-step deposition process based on the combination of deposition of nanoparticles and thin films was developed to obtain super-wettable nanocomposite coatings on filtration membranes. It was shown that the deposition parameters of thin films and particles of plasma polymer can tune the wetting characteristic of the membranes whereas embedding copper nanoparticles endows them with antibacterial properties. As a result, highly efficient superhydrophobic/superoleophilic and smart superamphiphilic membranes were successfully fabricated for oil/water separation. Plasma processing in the atmosphere of argon, oxygen or nitrogen was utilized to modify hard metal/polymer nanocomposites (Ag/a-C:H) with potential to be used as functional coatings for bone implants. An anisotropic etching...

Elektrostatické zvlákňování (v literatuře též uváděné jako electrospinning) bylo použito pro příprvu čistě polykaprolaktonových nanovláken a kompozitních nanovláken na bázi polykaprolaktonu s hydroxyapatitovými nanočásticemi. Připravená vlákna byla analyzována za použití rastrovací elektronové mikroskopie. Mechanické vlastnosti vláken byly určeny prostřednictvím zkoušky jednoosým tahem. Testy prokázaly silnou závislost mechanických vlastností vláken na jejich směrovém uspořádání a fázovém složení (především přítomnosti hydroxyapatitových částic). Směrové uspořádání vláken přispělo k výraznému zlepšení napětí při přetržení a celkové tažnosti. Zajímavý jev byl pozorován v případě kompozitních vláken– hydroxyapatitové částice zhoršily mechanické vlastnosti neuspořádaných vláken (napětí při přetržení a celkovou tažnost), ale vliv částic nebyl tak patrný v případě směrově uspořádaných vláken. Povrchové vlastnosti vláken byly modifikovány prostřednictvím nízkoteplotní plazmy. Změny povrchových vlastností vláken byly analyzovány pomocí měření kontaktního úhli a XPS analýzy (rentgenové fotoelektronové spektroskopie). Měření kontaktního úhlu ukázalo výrazný vliv plazmového opracování na povrchovou smáčivost vláken, kdy kontaktní úhel byl zcela neměřitelný. Výsledky analýzy ukázaly vliv plazmového opracování struktur na mikroskopické úrovni – plazmové opracování ovlivnilo pouze polymerní složku vláknitých struktur, zatímco hydroxyapatitové částice nebyly ovlivněny vůbec. Na vybraných strukturách bylo provedeno několik biologických zkoušek. Test v simulovaném tělním roztoku prokázal bioaktivitu kompozitních (polykaprolaton/hydroxyapatit) nanovláken prostřednoctví precipitace fází na bázi fosforečnanů vápenatých na povrchu kompozitních struktur. Následné in-vitro buněčné testy (dle normy ISO 10993-5 a WST-8 test) prokázaly významný pozitivní přínos hydroxyapatitových částic ve vláknitých strukturách, stejně jako kladný vliv plazmového opracování, kdy kompozitní oplazmovaná vlákna vykazovala 1,5násobnou bioaktivitu v porovnání s neplazmovanými čistě polykaprolaktonovými vlákny.

The emergence of microneedle (MN) technologies offers a route for a pain free, straightforward and efficient way of transdermal drug delivery, but technological barriers still exist which pose significant challenges for manufacture of MN systems with high volume outputs at low cost. The main aim of this research was to develop new ways for MN manufacture primarily using micro-injection moulding processes with high performance engineering thermoplastics. During the moulding process these polymeric melts will be subjected to extreme stress and temperature gradients and detailed material characterisation combined with in-line monitoring is desirable to optimise the moulding parameters and will help in achieving sharp microneedles with acceptable quality. Hence high shear rheology of these selected materials was performed at wall shear rates carried out in excess of 107 s-1 over a range of temperatures to predict the flow behaviour of polymer melts at such high shear strain rates. This information was fed into injection moulding simulation software tools (Moldflow) to assist the MN production process design. The optimal design was then used to produce a full 3D solid model of the injection mould and mould insert. Furthermore various design of experiments were conducted considering input parameters such as injection pressure, injection speed, melt temperature, filling time and mould cavity temperature. Response variables including product quality and data acquired from the cavity pressure and temperature transducers were used to optimise the manufacturing process. The moulded MNs were geometrically assessed using a range of characterisation techniques such as atomic force microscopy, confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. An attempt to make hollow MNs was performed and encountered many challenges like partial cavity filling and part ejection during processing. Studies were carried out to understand the problem and identified the major problem was in tool design and improvements to the moulding tool design were recommended. Plasma treatment and mechanical abrasion were employed to increase the surface energy of the moulded polymer surfaces with the aim of enhancing protein adsorption. Sample surface structures before and after treatment were studied using AFM and surface energies have been obtained using contact angle measurement and calculated using Owens-Wendt theory. Adsorption performance of bovine serum albumin and release kinetics for each sample set was assessed using a Franz diffusion cell. Results indicate that plasma treatment significantly increases the surface energy and roughness resulting in better adsorption and release of BSA. To assist design-optimisation and to assess performance, a greater understanding of MN penetration behaviour is required. Contact stiffness, failure strength and creep behaviour were measured during compression tests of MN against a steel surface, and in-vitro penetration of MNs into porcine skin. The MN penetration process into porcine skin was imaged using optical coherence tomography. Finally, a finite element model of skin was established to understand the effect of tip geometry on penetration. The output of findings from this research will provide proof of concept level development and understanding of mechanisms of MN penetration and failure, facilitating design improvements for micro-injection moulded polymeric MNs.

Yes / Plasma technology has been widely used to increase the surface energy of the polymer surfaces for many industrial applications; in particular to increase in wettability. The present work was carried out to investigate how surface modification using plasma treatment modifies the surface energy of micro-injection moulded microneedles and its influence on drug delivery. Microneedles of polyether ether ketone and polycarbonate and have been manufactured using micro-injection moulding and samples from each production batch have been subsequently subjected to a range of plasma treatment. These samples were coated with bovine serum albumin to study the protein adsorption on these treated polymer surfaces. Sample surfaces structures, before and after treatment, were studied using atomic force microscope and surface energies have been obtained using contact angle measurement and calculated using the Owens-Wendt theory. Adsorption performance of bovine serum albumin and release kinetics for each sample set was assessed using a Franz diffusion cell. Results indicate that plasma treatment significantly increases the surface energy and roughness of the microneedles resulting in better adsorption and release of BSA.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 SILVA_Barbara_2017.pdf: 2018251 bytes, checksum: 6dab58bc6d22c81d23f1cfb7011353bf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-15 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / The application of cellulose nanofibrils to the production of composites has been studied and presents promising results, mainly due to the abundance of the material, which is of a renewable source, and to its low cost. However, the presence of the hydroxyl groups in their chain and their storage in aqueous solutions limits their application as reinforcement in nonpolar matrix composites. In this context, this work aimed to modify the wettability and adhesion properties of films of cellulose nanofibrils to apolar matrices, through plasma treatment. For this, nanocellulose films with thickness of 38 ? 8 ?m were produced by the casting method, from a suspension of nanofibrils in water. The atomic force microscopy characterization (AFM) of the suspended nanofibrils indicated that most of them have an average diameter of less than 75 nm. Each film obtained, after drying the suspension, was then cut into 13 samples with 2 x 1 cm, 12 of which were exposed to plasma and one stored as untreated. Three films were treated with oxygen plasma, with excitation power of 150 W, for 30 minutes and pressure of 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 Torr. Another three films were treated with sulfur hexafluoride plasma at pressures of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 Torr, with a power of 150 W for 15 minutes. It was observed that weight loss was greater than 40% for the films treated with the most extreme conditions oxygen and sulfur hexafluoride. The results also showed that the treatments with sulfur hexafluoride promoted the reduction of the receptivity of the samples to the liquids, with contact angles of approximately 60º for water and 50º for diiodomethane. The profilometry technique revealed that the roughness of the films varied after the treatment with oxygen and sulfur hexafluoride, but the high error bars impede a definitive conclusion on the tendency of these variations. The X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) indicated no significant change in the crystallinity of the samples with the treatments. In the Fourier Transform Infrared absorption spectra (FTIR), a C-F bonding related peak appeared for the 0.3 Torr sulfur hexafluoride treated sample, indicating the presence of fluorine in that sample. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) allowed the visualization of the changes in the topography of the films, due to the etching processes resulting from the action of the plasma and the films ruptures caused by the high removal of surface material. In order to test the incorporation of treated films into composites using polyolefins as the matrix, polyethylene pellets were solubilized in xylene for the production of composite films. The treated and untreated nanocellulose films were placed in Petri dish jointly to the polyethylene films still dissolved and left at room temperature. After drying, adhesion between the films was tested through the adhesive tape test, resulting in class-zero adherence, according to the technical standard. It is believed that the lack of adhesion is a result of the composite production method that should be optimized for future work, in order to provide a better investigation of the effects of plasma on the surface properties of the film of cellulose nanofibrils. / A aplicação de nanofibrilas de celulose à produção de compósitos vem sendo estudada e apresenta resultados promissores, principalmente devido à abundância do material, que é de fonte renovável, e ao seu baixo custo. Contudo, a presença dos grupos hidroxila em sua cadeia e o seu armazenamento em soluções aquosas impede sua aplicação como reforço em compósitos de matrizes apolares. Nesse contexto, esse trabalho buscou modificar as propriedades de molhabilidade e aderência de filmes de nanofibrilas de celulose a matrizes apolares, através de tratamento a plasma. Para isso, filmes de nanocelulose com espessura de 38 ? 8 ?m foram produzidos pelo método de casting, a partir de uma suspensão de nanofibrilas em água. A caracterização por microscopia de força atômica (AFM) das nanofibrilas em suspensão indicou que a maior parte destas apresenta diâmetro médio inferior a 75 nm. Cada filme obtido, após a secagem da suspensão, foi então cortado em 13 amostras de 2 x 1 cm, sendo 12 destas expostas ao plasma e uma armazenada como não tratada. Três filmes foram tratados com plasma de oxigênio, com potência de excitação de 150 W, por 30 minutos e pressão de 0,1, 0,3 e 0,5 Torr. Outros três filmes foram tratados com plasma de hexafluoreto de enxofre, nas pressões 0,1, 0,2 e 0,3 Torr, com potência de 150 W por 15 minutos. Observou-se que houve perda de massa superior a 40% para os filmes tratados com as condições mais extremas de oxigênio e hexafluoreto de enxofre. Os resultados demonstraram também que os tratamentos com hexafluoreto de enxofre promoveram a diminuição da receptividade a líquidos das amostras, com ângulos de contato de aproximadamente 60º para água e 50º para o diiodometano. A técnica de perfilometria revelou que a rugosidade dos filmes variou após o tratamento com oxigênio e hexafluoreto de enxofre, porém as elevadas barras de erro impediram uma conclusão definitiva sobre a tendência dessas variações. As análises de difração de raios X (DRX) indicaram não haver alteração significativa na cristalinidade das amostras com os tratamentos. Nos espectros de absorção no infravermelho por transformada de Fourier (FTIR), foi observado o surgimento de um pico relacionado à ligação C-F para a amostra tratada com 0,3 Torr de hexafluoreto de enxofre, que indica a presença de flúor nessa amostra. As análises de microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) permitiram visualizar as alterações na topografia dos filmes, devido aos processos de ecthing decorrentes da ação do plasma e os rompimentos ocasionados pela elevada remoção de material da superfície. A fim de testar a incorporação dos filmes tratados em compósitos que utilizam poliolefinas como matriz, pellets de polietileno foram solubilizados em xileno para produção de filmes compósitos. Os filmes de nanocelulose tratados e não tratados foram dispostos em placa de Petri junto aos filmes de polietileno ainda dissolvidos e deixados em temperatura ambiente. Depois de secos, a adesão entre os filmes foi testada através do teste de fita-cola, resultado em adesão classe zero, conforme a norma técnica. Acredita-se que a falta de adesão é resultado do método de produção do compósito que deve ser otimizado para trabalhos futuros, com o objetivo de proporcionar uma melhor investigação dos efeitos do plasma sobre as propriedades da superfície do filme de nanofibrilas de celulose.