Topic: Surface modification using plasma coating. Functional coating using nano-coating with atmospheric pressure plasma: barrier coating & corrosion protection.

Functional coating: surface modification using PlasmaPlus® nanocoating

By using nanocoating in the PlasmaPlus® process with atmospheric pressure plasma, substances customized for the area of application are deposited down into the nanostructures of the material surface. A highly-effective functional coating is created, such as a corrosion protection coating or an anti-adherent coating. The materials acquire completely new characteristics. Manufacturing products with selectively functionalized surfaces means a completely new dimension in innovation capability.

Easy to clean: functional coating that repels water and soiling
Plasma coating produces surfaces that are highly hydrophobic so they repel water (lotus effect). They are also dirt-repellent thus have self-cleaning properties without requiring any mechanical cleaning action. Pioneering application areas include coating of automobile components (for example, aluminum wheel rims) or window frontages and glass panes.
Barrier coating – safe protection for food, beverages and medicine
Barrier coatings are an effective way of stopping the diffusion of carbon dioxide, oxygen and water. They can be applied to all types of plastics and in the packaging industry; they make it possible to produce barrier films or PET bottles with a CO₂ barrier. For food or medicinal packaging, they provide barrier layers so that the active ingredients and flavorings, as well as quality and characteristics of the contents, are protected.
Self-cleaning and germ-killing antimicrobial functional coating based on titanium dioxide and silver
Depositing photocatalytically-active titanium-dioxide coatings is possible with the PlasmaPlus® process. Under the effect of sunlight and moisture, these coatings have a self-cleaning and germ-killing effect. This application is especially interesting for coating medical and sanitary products since intervals for manual cleaning can be extended or the cleaning dropped all together.
Another Plasmatreat research topic is the deposition of antimicrobial coatings containing silver.
Adhesion-promoting functional coating for 2-component injection molding
Plasmatreat is doing intensive work and research on improving rubber-to-metal and plastic-to-metal bonding between in hybrid injection molding. For this purpose nanocoatings with active adhesion are applied to the metal surface, then the plastic component is molded onto the surface. In the future, depositing adhesion-promoting coatings with the PlasmaPlus process can replace primers containing solvent in automobile manufacturing.
Nanocoating of complex three-dimensional components
By using a combination of Openair® plasma technology and PlasmaPlus®, complex 3-D components can be coated using atmospheric pressure plasma. The coating material reaches even areas that are hard to access like deep groove geometries or undercuts. This makes it possible to completely coat populated circuit boards on and under the components.