A plasma treatment apparatus and a plasma treatment method are provided. The apparatus includes a chamber, a planar plasma-generating electrode, a sample suspension and holding system, and an optical observation system. The chamber defines a processing inner chamber, and the top portion of the chamber has a window. The planar plasma-generating electrode is located in the processing inner chamber for generating a planar plasma. The sample suspension and holding system is disposed opposite to the planar plasma-generating electrode in the processing inner chamber to suspend and hold a sample. The optical observation system is located in the processing inner chamber adjacent to the sample suspension and holding system to measure the thickness range of a planar plasma effective influence region through the window of the chamber.

A superhydrophobic and self-cleaning surface including a substrate and a superhydrophobic layer. The superhydrophobic layer having a reacted form of octadecyltrichlorosilane. The octadecyltrichlorosilane is disposed on and crosslinked to a surface of the substrate via surface hydroxyl groups. The surface exhibits a rms roughness of 40 nm to 60 nm, a water contact angle of 155 to 180, and a contact angle hysteresis of less than 15. A method of preparing the substrate with a superhydrophobic and self-cleaning surface including treating a substrate with a plasma treatment, contacting the substrate with water or an alcohol to form an hydroxylated substrate, contacting the hydroxylated substrate with a solution of octadecyltrichlorosilane in an alkane solvent at a concentration in the range of 0.05 M to 0.3 M, and drying the solution on to the substrate under ambient air to form the superhydrophobic and self-cleaning surface on the substrate.

The present invention relates to hydrophilic, multi-functional ultra-thin coatings deposited onto substrates for different applications, with excellent performance in terms of stability and durability. The present invention also describes improved methods to deposit the hydrophilic, multi-functional ultra-thin coatings of the present invention. The coatings are deposited by means of a low pressure and low power plasma polymerization. The present invention also comprises substrates coated with a method and a coating according as described in the present invention.

Embodiments relate to surface treating a substrate, spraying precursor onto the substrate using supercritical carrier fluid, and post-treating the substrate sprayed with the precursor to form a layer with nanometer thickness of material on the substrate. A spraying assembly for spraying the precursor includes one or more spraying modules and one or more radical injectors at one or more sides of the spraying module. A differential spread mechanism is provided between the spraying module and the radical injectors to inject spread gas that isolates the sprayed precursor and radicals generated by the radical injectors. As relative movement between the substrate and the spraying assembly is made, portions of the substrate is exposed to first radicals, sprayed with precursors either one of the spraying modules or both spraying modules using supercritical carrier fluid, and then exposed to second radicals again.

A process for producing a fluorinated polymer coating on a fabric substrate, including providing a first plasma source containing at least one pair of hollow-cathode plasma generating electrodes, injecting a first plasma generating gas in the at least one pair of hollow-cathode plasma generating electrodes, applying a first electrical power to the first plasma source, injecting a fluorinated monomer with an inert carrier gas between the at least one pair of hollow-cathode plasma generating electrodes, and depositing the fluorinated polymer coating on a surface of the fabric substrate by exposing the fabric substrate to the plasma of the first plasma source. The fluorinated polymer coating is water repellent.

The present disclosure relates, in exemplary embodiments, to processes for preparing omniphobic coatings on a substrate. The disclosure further relates to substrates comprising an omniphobic coating comprising a fluoride ion encapsulated F-POSS.

A system and method for depositing a coating may comprise a coating chemical reactor, surface activation component, and a deposition component. A target surface may be prepared for deposition with the surface activation component. The coating chemical reactor may comprise a coating chemical dispenser and a coating chemical verifier that prepares the coating chemical for deposition. The coating chemical verifier may utilize an optical excitation source and at least one optical detector, wherein chemical substances are identified by unique signatures composed of binary code. The coating chemical may be received by the deposition component to depositing the coating chemical on the target surface.

The invention relates to a method of controlling adsorption of lipid molecules onto a solid support by tuning the steric-hydration force of the lipid vesicles and the surface of the solid support, such that the solid support either has a stabilized lipid bilayer adsorbed thereon or is resistant to adsorption of lipid molecules.

An apparatus (9) for plasma treating multiple containers. The apparatus includes a manifold (2) comprising at least a first chamber with multiple outlet openings and multiple hollow, electrically-conductive nozzles (10) for at least one of delivering or exhausting plasma-generating gas. The multiple hollow, electrically-conductive nozzles are connected to the multiple outlet openings and protrude from the manifold. A method of plasma treating multiple containers is also disclosed. The method includes providing a reactor system comprising an apparatus disclosed herein, inserting the multiple hollow, electrically-conductive nozzles into the multiple containers (30), evacuating the multiple containers, grounding the multiple hollow, electrically-conductive nozzles while applying radio frequency power to the multiple containers, providing a gas inside the containers, and generating a plasma. At least one of evacuating or providing the gas is carried out through the hollow, electrically-conductive nozzles.

A composition that is easily applied, clear, well-bonded, and superhydrophobic is disclosed. In one aspect, the composition includes a hydrophobic fluorinated solvent, a binder comprising a hydrophobic fluorinated polymer, and hydrophobic fumed silica nanoparticles. Also disclosed is a structure including a substrate coated with the composition, as well as a method for making the composition and a method of coating a substrate with the composition.