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Two titania nanotube (TNT) architectures, namely, aligned and spaced, have been synthesized by anodizing titanium–silver (TiAg) alloy films (i.e., 1.7, 3.5, and 5% Ag content) sputtered onto indium–tin oxide. The Raman spectra showed that the anatase phase is obtained for the aligned TNT up to 5% Ag content, whereas no anatase peak is observed for the spaced TNT above 1.7% Ag content in the deposited TiAg alloys. The electrochemical studies carried out in the presence of redox species showed that, among others for 5% Ag content in the deposited TiAg alloy used for anodization, a reversible redox reaction of ferricyanide species occurs that was not found for bare TNT. Moreover, irrespective of the titania arrangement, an increase of the Ag content in the TiAg films to 5% leads to a very efficient electron-transfer rate of 3.84 × 10–3 cm s–1 for aligned and 7.98 × 10–3 cm s–1 for spaced titania. In addition, the photoelectrode based on aligned TNT grown out of the TiAg alloy films containing 3.5% Ag exhibited a photocurrent density of about 3 times higher with respect to the aligned TNT obtained from the pure titanium film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on developing copper-based nanocomposite surfaces with enhanced metal ion release for virucidal applications. We used one of the biggest enemies of building construction, galvanic corrosion, and applied it at the nanoscale to fight against viruses. It was proven that copper ion release is significantly increased if the copper surfaces are in direct contact with nanoparticles from a more noble metal. This enhancement subsequently leads to a more robust virucidal action against tick-borne encephalitis virus, human coronavirus OC43, and SARS-CoV-2, causing the disease of COVID-19; we attribute this effect to increased corrosion caused by electrical contact of dissimilar metals. Furthermore, it is shown that the technology of enhancing copper ion release caused by galvanic corrosion induced by nanoparticles might be transferred to nonwoven textile fabrics, which paves the way to produce effective virucidal textiles for both personal protection and air filtering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma polymer nanoparticles (pp‐NPs) are relatively easy to produce by plasma‐based gas aggregation sources. However, as experimentally evidenced in this study for the case of C:H:N:O pp‐NPs, pp‐NPs are unlike metal/metal oxide nanoparticles prone to reflection from the substrate if they hit it with too high a speed. This may result in little or no deposition rate even though the nanoparticle beam is very intense. As is shown, the deposition of pp‐NPs can be promoted either by the adjustment of their speed before they reach the substrate or by a proper selection of a substrate. Concerning the latter, enhanced capturing of pp‐NPs was observed on structured or liquid substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates low-temperature plasma generated by an amplitude-modulated dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) as a direct surface treatment of pepper and melon plant seeds. An analysis of the discharge and its products revealed the influence of the seeds inserted into the plasma on the total plasma power and concentration of O3 and NOx, which are the dominant reactive oxygen and nitrogen species produced by the plasma. The plasma treatment of the seeds led to higher viability and higher imbibition rate during the first hour of exposure to the wet environment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed changes in the O:C ratio for plasma-treated pepper and melon seeds. However, prolonged plasma treatment for 300 s affected pepper and melon seeds differently. While the O:C ratio gradually increased with plasma treatment time for pepper seeds, that for melon seeds decreased considerably for longer treatment times. Furthermore, detailed XPS analysis of pepper seeds revealed a profound increase in magnesium and calcium, which are often present in seed macronutrients, and a minor increase in potassium, silicon, sulfur, and phosphorus, which are present in micronutrients. These observations can be related to the possible redistribution of the elements owing to the plasma treatment, and thus the treatment might have an essential influence on the seed bulk. The findings presented in this study help elucidate the plasma interaction with surfaces of pepper and melon seeds and confirm the feasibility of the direct plasma treatment using power-modulated DBDs for applications in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel strategy to produce semi-transparent TiO2 nanoparticle-based coatings is investigated. This two-step strategy utilizes a magnetron-based gas aggregation source of Ti nanoparticles that are subsequently annealed in air at the temperature of 450 °C. It is shown that by using this technique, it is possible to fabricate highly porous and patterned TiO2 nanoparticle coatings with an optical band gap of around 3.0 eV on the substrate materials commonly used as transparent electrodes in photovoltaic applications or for water-splitting. In addition, it is shown that the morphology of the resulting coatings may be varied by changing the angle between the direction of the substrate and the incoming beam of nanoparticles. As demonstrated, the tilting of the substrate leads to the formation of columnar nanoparticle films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A gas aggregation source based on DC magnetron sputtering was investigated using a passive thermal probe and supplementary diagnostics (Langmuir probe and quartz crystal microbalance). Parameter variations of pressure, axial distance, and magnetron current have been performed for three different targets (pure Cu, pure W, composite Cu/W) in argon discharge. The measurements showed the energy flux to be significantly higher for the case of the pure tungsten and the composite target compared to the copper target, which is likely a result of the strongly increased amount of neutrals being reflected from the heavier targets. Furthermore, gas rarefaction by the sputtered atoms was found to be essential for the understanding of the observed energy flux and that the dominant contributors to the energy flux in the higher pressure regime are comparable to those observed in the conventional lower pressure regime. Selected deposited films have been investigated ex-situ by scanning electron microscopy, which allowed us to gain insight into the nanoparticle formation in relation to the observed energy conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dependence of nanoparticles' plasmonic properties on the medium's material surrounding them finds utilization in sensing applications. However, as the detection sensitivity exponentially decreases with distance from the nanoparticles, direct contact between the medium and the nanoparticles is required to obtain the highest signal. This study shows how to prepare such a localized surface plasmon resonance sensor composed of gas‐phase synthesized Ag nanoparticles and magnetron sputtered C:H:N:O plasma polymer film. It is proved that excellent stability of Ag/C:H:N:O, enduring even ultrasound bath, may be reached by heating the C:H:N:O film during the deposition of Ag nanoparticles. Such a prepared sensor exhibits a sensitivity of 78 nm/RIU and detects medium changes at distances over 32 nm from its surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mechanical time-of-flight filter intended for measurement of velocities of nanoparticles exiting a gas aggregation source has been developed. Several configurations maximizing simplicity, throughput or resolution are suggested and investigated both theoretically and experimentally. It is shown that the data measured using such filters may be easily converted to the real velocity distribution with high precision. Furthermore, it is shown that properly designed filters allow for the monitoring of the velocity of nanoparticles even at the conditions with extremely low intensity of the nanoparticle beam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AgCu Janus nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by coating of Ag NPs in flight. The Ag NPs, produced by a gas aggregation source, were coated with Cu during their flight through a tubular magnetron (TMG). Their structure and chemical composition were studied to establish their dependence on the TMG's operational parameters. The main focus was the influence of the TMG's current and magnetic field. It was found that trapping of the NPs occurred at a certain combination of these two parameters. When trapping happened, the size of the NPs and their Cu content increased significantly. We have demonstrated that we can vary the composition of the NP's produced from pristine Ag from perfect Janus NPs with a Ag/Cu ratio of 50/50, to almost-pure Cu NPs with tiny Ag inclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal‐polymer nanocomposites have gained increasing attention due to the wide potential applications field. Synthesis of nanoparticles from the gas phase is an intensively studied alternative to the chemical preparation methods. We present a one‐step procedure that combines magnetron‐based gas aggregation cluster source of silver nanoparticles and simultaneous plasma‐enhanced chemical vapour deposition of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO). The key parameter of the process, significantly influencing the morphology and microstructure of studied nanoparticles, was found to be the amount of HMDSO added to the deposition chamber as witnessed by small angle X‐ray scattering and X‐ray diffraction methods combined with transmission electron microscopy and UV–Vis spectrophotometry. The presence of HMDSO in the chamber leads to changes in the size distribution and also in the architecture of prepared nanoparticles. The increasing amount of HMDSO induces the formation of individual core‐shell nanoparticles, chains of core‐shell nanoparticles, and for the highest concentration of HMDSO, the synthesis of multi‐core‐shell nanoparticles. The size of crystallites in the silver cores of nanoparticles decreases with addition of HMDSO, which prevents further aggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, iron carbide nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by the plasma‐based method using a gas aggregation source of NPs. In‐flight plasma treatment of the NPs was performed to improve their temporal stability. The auxiliary radiofrequency plasma used for the in‐flight treatment resulted in trapping of the NPs in the plasma for several 10s of seconds. Scanning electron microscopy and small‐angle X‐ray scattering analyses showed a decrease in the size of NPs due to the plasma treatment, whereas the X‐ray diffraction analysis showed that the structure of the NPs changed from amorphous iron carbide to the crystalline Fe3C (cementite). In situ and ex situ X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement confirmed better temporal stability of plasma‐treated NPs against oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kinetic aspects of the synthesis of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) by magnetron sputtering are studied by in situ and time‐resolved small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). Part of the NPs are found to become confined within a capture zone at 1–10 mm from the surface of the target and circumscribed by the plasma ring. Three regimes of the NP growth are identified: 1) early growth at which the average NP diameter rapidly increases to 90 nm; 2) cycling instabilities at which the SAXS signal periodically fluctuates either due to expelling of large NPs from the capture zone or due to the axial rotation of the NP cloud; and 3) steady‐state synthesis at which stable synthesis of the NPs is achieved. The NP confinement within the capture zone is driven by the balance of forces, the electrostatic force being dominant. On reaching the critical size, large NPs acquire an excessive charge and become expelled from the capture zone via the electrostatic interactions. As a result, significant NP deposits are formed on the inner walls of the aggregation chamber as well as in the central area of the target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin films, which are able to deliver antibiotics in a controlled way, are considered as a promising approach to combat bacterial infections. A novel drug delivery method based on reservoir/diffusion barrier is introduced in this paper. As reservoir serves a film of sputtered nylon 6,6 impregnated with ampicillin, which is then covered by a diffusion barrier from the same material. It is demonstrated that the impregnation process does not affect either the morphology or the surface chemical structure. The amount of immobilized antibiotics can be tailored by changing the reservoir film thickness, while the release kinetics can be controlled by the thickness of the diffusion barrier. Finally, it is shown that the ampicillin impregnated films have an antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus epidermidis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core@shell Cu/hydrocarbon plasma polymer nanoparticles (NPs) have been prepared using a gas aggregation cluster source followed by in‐flight plasma polymer coating of produced Cu NPs. Conventional plasma polymerization of vapors of n‐Hexane or acetone has been applied. It is shown that this strategy for core@shell NPs production enables to achieve homogeneous shells with thickness in nanometer scale without impact on the properties of metallic cores (crystallinity, optical properties). In addition, it has been proved that the chemical properties of shells may be controlled by use of different organic precursors that enables production of NPs with different wettabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nanocomposite films Ag/a-C:H were prepared by vacuum-based method which combines deposition of Ag nanoparticles by means of gas aggregation source (GAS) and PECVD deposition of a-C:H matrix. The matrix was deposited in a mixture of Ar and n-hexane on the substrates placed on the powered RF electrode facing the beam of Ag NPs from the GAS. Anisotropic plasma etching was used to increase Ag concentration on the surface of the coating. The influence of three types of plasma on the chemical composition of the coatings and on the size of Ag nanoparticles is described. It is shown that the best etching selectivity and thus the highest Ag surface concentration was reached in case of etching of grounded samples in low pressure oxygen plasma. This treatment enhances the short term antibacterial efficiency of produced coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaporation of a drop of biomolecular solution on a solid surface typically creates a ring-shaped drying pattern, formed by the so-called “coffee ring” effect. The size and shape of the “coffee ring” pattern is strongly dependent on the properties of the surface as well as on the deposited molecular solution or suspension. In this paper, we tested six types of surfaces differing in their physico-chemical surface characteristics (contact angles, wettability and roughness) as well as in the presence or absence of a base metal layer. The tested surfaces include two fluorocarbon coated metallic surfaces (commercial SpectRIM™ from Tienta Sciences, Inc. based on a smoothed stainless steel and non-commercial aluminium surface), three silanized glass surfaces and polished CaF2. The results showed that the formation of a “coffee ring” was influenced by surface wettability as well as by lipid concentration in the drop. Drop coating deposition Raman (DCDR) spectroscopy was used to compare the ability of the tested surfaces to preconcentrate molecules in the ring and therefore improve detection sensitivity. It was shown that surfaces with a contact angle of 90° and higher produce smaller drying patterns than more hydrophilic surfaces. In these drying patterns, the model liposomes were more efficiently preconcentrated, which resulted in a higher Raman signal of the liposomes. The applicability of surfaces with static contact angles less than 90°, high water contact angle hysteresis and no metal layer (silanized glass, CaF2) is limited to samples with high liposome concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study is shown a novel vacuum-based technique that enables production of hard polymeric nanocomposite coatings with metal (Cu) nanoparticles. This method is based on the use of gas aggregation source (GAS) of Cu nanoparticles and plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition of a-C:H matrix that was deposited in a mixture of Ar and n-hexane on the substrates placed on the powered RF electrode. This approach makes it possible to control independently both the properties of the matrix by variation of the applied RF power and the amount of incorporated Cu nanoparticles that may be adjusted by operational parameters of the GAS. Characterisation of the films in terms of their chemical composition, morphology, optical and mechanical properties is described here alongside with description of Cu nanoparticles production using GAS with variable aggregation length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surfaces whose properties change gradually along the sample length, so-called gradient surfaces, are highly interesting for fundamental studies focused on the interaction between biomolecules or cells and surfaces. In this study, we investigate simple, vacuum-based strategy for fabrication of surfaces with gradient nanoroughness and wettability. This approach is based on the application of gas aggregation source of nanoparticles combined with the magnetron sputtering of poly(tetrafluoroethylene). It is shown that this technique makes it possible to produce coatings with invariant surface chemistry, but with gradient roughness in the range 0.5-20 nm and wettability gradient that ranges from 100° up to 150°, i.e., coatings with hydrophobic to superhydrophobic character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanostructures with both high sensitivity and spectral reproducibility, which are key requirements for routine SERS quantitative (sensing) applications, is a great challenge. Here we report on the multilayered design of SERS-active substrates formed by uniform Ag nanoislands stabilized by a magnetron-sputtered polytetrafluoroethylene (msPTFE) film of nanometre thickness. The preparation of large scale (∼20 cm2) nanostructures with long (∼months) time stability was fast (∼minutes), cheap and repeatable. SERS performance of our substrates was subsequently improved by step-by-step optimisation of the fabrication procedure and introduction of the additional silver layer, separating the supporting glass from the msPTFE film, which contributed to the total enhancement factor by another order of magnitude. Such substrates provided high SERS sensitivity with a SERS enhancement factor of about 2 orders of magnitude larger than commonly reported in the literature for Ag nanoislands grown directly on glass. The limits of detection were determined as ∼1 × 10−10 M, 1 × 10−7 M and 1 × 10−6 M for testing analytes methylene blue (MB), 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin (H2TMPyP) and cysteine, respectively. SERS substrates showed excellent spectral reproducibility both across a single substrate and different substrate batches. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the SERS signal did not exceed 20% for different concentrations of MB and H2TMPyP, respectively. Therefore, Ag nanoislands stabilized by the msPTFE film are due to high sensitivity, stability and excellent spectral reproducibility very promising substrates for SERS biomolecular quantitative (sensing) applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glancing angle deposition (GLAD) on a smooth substrate has certain limitations, which may be overcome if nanoparticles are deposited first. This study compares the growth of silver columns on a smooth substrate and over pre-deposited small copper (Ø16 nm) and big C:H plasma polymer nanoparticles (Ø110 nm). Cu nanoparticles help to the growth of the columns but their surface density does not play a major role. C:H nanoparticles ensure the growth of the column from each particle and therefore increased surface density of C:H nanoparticles results in an increased number of columns. In addition, the columns grow even at very small angles of incidence (40°). At high angles of incidence secondary columns start to grow on primary columns and also on the smooth substrate surface in between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study describes the preparation and properties of Al/AlO nanoparticles and their nanocomposites with hydrocarbon plasma polymer. The nanoparticles were deposited using a simple gas aggregation cluster source based on a planar magnetron. The influence of deposition parameters on size distribution was studied. It was found that Al nanoparticles may be deposited with mean diameter ranging from 30 to 60 nm by varying magnetron current from 0.4 to 0.2 A. Attention was also paid to the investigation of the charge of the nanoparticles. It is shown that a large portion of AlO nanoparticles leave the gas aggregation source as negatively charged. The nanoparticles were also embedded into the plasma polymer matrix by their simultaneous co-deposition with plasma-polymerized n-hexane. Morphology and chemical composition of such fabricated nanocomposites were determined. It was shown that AlO nanoparticles embedded into the polymeric matrix exhibit localized surface plasmon resonances in the deep ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum and the position of the plasmon peak is strongly correlated with nanoparticle size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune-stimulating microbiological components like lipopolysaccharide (LPS), lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and zymosan bound onto surfaces lead to severe problems when brought in contact with the organism via surgical instruments or implants. We have shown, in recent studies, that it is possible to detect different immune-stimulating components directly on the surface, via an indirect detection method, using human whole-blood and the monocyte reaction to measure the inflammatory mediator release (IL-1 P) by ELISA. With regard to the inactivation of pyrogenic substances, we present a method based on the application of a low-pressure microwave plasma discharge working at low temperatures. We found a fast (10 s to a few minutes) removal rate of the immune-stimulating competence for LPS, LTA and zymosan. To mimic the bacterial cell-wall, LPS in combination with muramyl dipeptide as employed and the decreasing rate of the inflammatory signal did not differ from pure LPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of microwave discharge on pyrogen bioactivity has been studied in different oxygen- and hydrogen-containing mixtures with the aim of identifying the crucial depyrogenation agent. According to the obtained biological results and their comparison with properties of the plasma determined by means of optical emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probe measurements, it has been found that under experimental conditions tested, depyrogenation is not greatly affected by UV radiation or charged particles but is considerably accelerated by the presence of atomic hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raman spectroscopy is one of the most used biodetection techniques. However, its usability is hampered in the case of low concentrated substances because of the weak intensity of the Raman signal. To overcome this limitation, the use of drop coating deposition Raman spectroscopy (DCDRS), in which the liquid samples are allowed to dry into well-defined patterns where the non-volatile solutes are highly concentrated, is appropriate. This significantly improves the Raman sensitivity when compared to the conventional Raman signal from solution/suspension. As DCDRS performance strongly depends on the wetting properties of substrates, we demonstrate here that the smooth hydrophobic plasma polymerized fluorocarbon films prepared by magnetron sputtering (contact angle 108°) are well-suited for the DCDRS detection of liposomes. Furthermore, it was proved that even better improvement of the Raman signal might be achieved if the plasma polymer surfaces are roughened. In this case, 100% higher intensities of Raman signal are observed in comparison with smooth fluorocarbon films. As it is shown, this effect, which has no influence on the profile of Raman spectra, is connected with the increased hydrophobicity of nanostructured fluorocarbon films. This results in the formation of dried liposomal deposits with smaller diameters and higher preconcentration of liposomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma polymer films typically consist of very short fragments of the precursor molecules. That rather limits the applicability of most plasma polymerisation/plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) processes in cases where retention of longer molecular structures is desirable. Plasma-assisted vapour thermal deposition (PAVTD) circumvents this limitation by using a classical bulk polymer as a high molecular weight "precursor". As a model polymer in this study, polylactic acid (PLA) has been used. The resulting PLA-like films were characterised mostly by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The molecular structure of the films was found to be tunable in a broad range: from the structures very similar to bulk PLA polymer to structures that are more typical for films prepared using PECVD. In all cases, PLA-like groups are at least partially preserved. A simplified model of the PAVTD process chemistry was proposed and found to describe well the observed composition of the films. The structure of the PLA-like films demonstrates the ability of plasma-assisted vapour thermal deposition to bridge the typical gap between the classical and plasma polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report on the investigation of influence of air atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge on polyimide (Kapton) films. It is shown that plasma treatment causes a significant increase of Kapton wettability that is connected with alterations of its chemical composition (oxidation) induced by dielectric barrier discharge. Observed variations in the wettability of Kapton were also found to be accompanied by changes in the dynamics of water droplets drying on plasma-treated Kapton, namely by the reduction of the constant contact angle phase of the droplet drying. This effect may be ascribed to the higher surface heterogeneity of plasma-treated Kapton that causes pinning of the edges of drying droplet on the Kapton surface. Finally, the differences in wettability induced by the plasma treatment led to a different way, how the water condensates on the Kapton surface: while the condensing water forms large amount of small droplets on untreated Kapton, much bigger water structures were found on the Kapton exposed to atmospheric plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF) requires the absorption/emission band of the fluorophore, the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the nanostructure and the excitation wavelength to fall in the same (or very close) spectral range. In this paper, we monitor the SEF intensity and lifetime dependence of riboflavin (vitamin B2) adsorbed on a spacer-modified Ag substrate with respect to the thickness of the spacer. The substrates were formed by silver nanoislands deposited onto magnetron-sputtered polytetrafluoroethylene (ms-PTFE). The spacer was formed by the ms-PTFE layer with the thickness ranging from ~5 to 25 nm. The riboflavin dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) at a 10 µM concentration forms, at the ms-PTFE surface, a homogeneous layer of adsorbed molecules corresponding to a monomolecular layer. The microspectroscopic measurements of the adsorbed layer were performed through a sessile droplet; our study has shown the advantages and limitations of this approach. Time-resolved fluorescence enabled us to determine the enhanced fluorescence quantum yield due to the shortening of the radiative decay in the vicinity of the plasmonic surface. For the 5 nm ms-PTFE layer possessing the largest (estimated 4×) fluorescence enhancement, the quantum yield was increased 2.3×. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable production of nanoparticles (NPs) by magnetron sputtering in a gas aggregation source (GAS) is of great interest because of many potential applications. The size, shape, or structure of NPs can be tuned by the operational parameters of the GAS. In this study, fabrication of copper (Cu) NPs is investigated dependent on the magnetron magnetic field (MF)–a not much studied parameter. Decrease of the MF from 83 to 35 mT results in changes in the shape and size distribution of the NPs. MF also strongly affects the NPs deposition rate (DR). Electromagnetic trapping of the NPs in the vicinity of the magnetron target is proposed to be responsible for the changes in DR and polydispersity. The highest DR was reached at 45 mT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetron sputtering is a well-known technique that is commonly used for the deposition of thin compact films. However, as was shown in the 1990s, when sputtering is performed at pressures high enough to trigger volume nucleation/condensation of the supersaturated vapor generated by the magnetron, various kinds of nanoparticles may also be produced. This finding gave rise to the rapid development of magnetron-based gas aggregation sources. Such systems were successfully used for the production of single material nanoparticles from metals, metal oxides, and plasma polymers. In addition, the growing interest in multi-component heterogeneous nanoparticles has led to the design of novel systems for the gas-phase synthesis of such nanomaterials, including metal/plasma polymer nanoparticles. In this featured article, we briefly summarized the principles of the basis of gas-phase nanoparticles production and highlighted recent progress made in the field of the fabrication of multi-component nanoparticles. We then introduced a gas aggregation source of plasma polymer nanoparticles that utilized radio frequency magnetron sputtering of a polymeric target with an emphasis on the key features of this kind of source. Finally, we presented and discussed three strategies suitable for the generation of metal/plasma polymer multi-core@shell or core-satellite nanoparticles: the use of composite targets, a multi-magnetron approach, and in-flight coating of plasma polymer nanoparticles by metal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the future of low‐temperature plasma science in relation to the manufacturing and novel uses of glass. The text summarizes the current state of the art on the major topics discussed, such as glass processing, optics and photonics, healthcare issues, building and fenestration applications. It also identifies several challenges that are driven by applications, and which are compatible with roadmaps for their respective industries. The frontiers of plasma science are discussed, for example, in relation to the use of plasmas as an active optical element in fast‐response adaptive optics systems, optical metamaterials, and the development of next‐generation nanolithography. Future demand for the successful implementation of plasma‐based technologies in the glass, optics, and photonic industries will depend on further progress in plasma science. Hence, some needs and recommendations concerning both fundamental and applied plasma research are summarized. Non‐thermal plasmas and plasma‐assisted technologies applicable to the development of novel uses for glass in very different fields such as optics and photonics, the building industry and healthcare are reviewed. Several challenges within plasma science, such as the development of plasma sources; and the characterization of plasmas; and plasma‐assisted processes are discussed, together with well‐established future roadmaps for their corresponding industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urgent need for innovative and effective antibacterial coatings in different fields seems to have triggered the development of numerous strategies for the production of such materials. As shown in this short overview, plasma based techniques arouse considerable attention that is connected with the possibility to use these techniques for the production of advanced antibacterial Ag/plasma polymer coatings with tailor-made functional properties. In addition, the plasma-based deposition is believed to be well-suited for the production of novel multi-functional or stimuli-responsive antibacterial films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Back Cover: The growth of columnar silver films was enhanced by deposition over C:H plasma polymer nanoparticles. This enables to prepare columnar structures growing from the particle seeds. The silver was sputtered over the nanoparticles in perpendicular direction and at different angles ranging from 40 to 80°. As an example silver GLAD deposited over C:H nanoparticles at angles 40 and 70° is shown. Further details can be found in the article by Pavel Solař et. al. on page 486. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]