Co-Deposition of Plasma-Polymerized Polyacrylic Acid and Silver Nanoparticles for the Production of Nanocomposite Coatings Using a Non-Equilibrium Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet

A single step process for the deposition of nanocomposite coatings with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) embedded in a plasma-polymerized polyacrylic acid (pPAA) matrix and performed using a non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jet is presented. Acrylic acid (AA) and AgNPs dispersed in ethanol (EtOH) are used as precursors and are separately injected in the plasma region directly; Ar is used as plasma gas and also as carrier gas for both precursors. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ATR-FTIR analysis show the deposition of a micrometric pPAA coating on the polyethylene (PE) film used as substrate; AgNPs embedded in the polymeric matrix are visible in SEM pictures and their presence is confirmed by XPS and EDS analysis. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) also highlights a high retention of carboxylic groups in the pPAA chemical structure and the surface oxidation of AgNPs. Preliminary results of the antibacterial activity of the co-deposited coatings are presented.