AFM and specular reflectance IR studies on the surface structure of poly(ethylene terephthalate) films upon treatment with argon and oxygen plasmas

Quantitative analysis of solid samples using modified specular reflectance accessory

Diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) is a fast, reliable and cost effective analytical method, requiring minimal or no sample preparation. It is commonly used in the course of qualitative and quantitative analysis of pharmaceutical ingredients and food. We demonstrate that simpler and cheaper specular reflectance (SR) accessory working in a DRIFTS like mode (SR-DL) can be an alternative for DIRFTS attachment. An application of a modified SR accessory for quantitative analysis of solids samples is presented. As a case study the concentration of cinnarizine in commercial tablets has been determined from DRIFTS and SR-DL infrared (IR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectra recorded using DTGS (deuterated triglicine sulphate) detector in the IR and NIR regions and InGaAs (indium-gallium arsenide) detector in the NIR range. Based on these spectra Partial Least Squares (PLS) models were constructed and relative standard errors of prediction (RSEP) were calculated for the calibration, validation and analysed data sets. They amounted to 2.4-2.5%, 2.1-2.7% and 2.0-2.6% for the DRIFTS attachment while 2.1-2.2%, 2.0-2.3% and 1.9-2.6%, respectively, for the modified SR accessory. Obtained error values indicate that modified SR accessory can be effectively used for quantification of solid pharmaceutical samples in the mid- and near-infrared regions.

Preliminary study on the effects of ageing cold oxygen plasma treated PET/PP with respect to protein adsorption

Surfaces of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) have been modified by oxygen plasma. The surface hydrophilicity and changes in topography during up to 90 days storage in water and in dry air in a desiccator were analysed by dynamic contact angle test and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Clear ageing effects on the plasma treated surface were observed as increases in contact angle and changes in roughness as functions of increasing storage time. However, the effect of oxygen plasma treatment to increase the hydrophilicity of surface was still evident on the treated surfaces even after 90 days storage either in dry air or in water. In protein adsorption experiments, human serum albumin (HSA) and fibrinogen (Fg) were adsorbed on untreated and oxygen plasma treated PET and PP surfaces. The quantified ATR-FTIR results showed that both HSA and Fg adsorption on PET and PP surfaces decreased after oxygen plasma treatment, with the effect most evident for HSA. Although for both proteins adsorption increased with ageing, the amount of adsorbed proteins was still lower than untreated surface at 30 days. This suggests the shelf life of oxygen plasma treated samples could be as long as 30 days.

Adherence of Candida albicans to glow-discharge modified acrylic denture base polymers

An important aetiologic factor in the pathogenesis of denture-induced stomatitis, is the presence of numerous yeasts, usually Candida albicans, on the fitting surfaces of dentures. In the present study, effect of glow-discharge plasma, a technique applied to increase surface wettability of acrylic resins, on candidial adherence was evaluated. The durability of glow-discharge modification with saliva coating was also evaluated. Samples including control and experimental groups were prepared by using heat compression mould technique. To create a hydrophobicity gradient, experimental groups were exposed to a radiofrequency glow discharge in an O2 atmosphere under different discharge powers. To characterize the wetting properties, an expression of surface hydrophobicity, contact angle measurements were performed by the sessile drop method. The organism used was C. albicans (ATTC10321). Acrylic samples were coated with unstimulated whole saliva collected from a healthy man. The fungal suspension was poured on saliva-inoculated samples and incubated at 37 degrees for 2 h. The samples were then fixed with glutaraldehyde and Gram stained. Adhered candidial cells were examined by light microscope. Diffuse Reflectance FTIR (DRIFT) and scanning electron-microscope examinations were also performed to evaluate the surface composition and roughness of the test groups. Glow-discharge plasma was found to be an effective means of increasing surface wettability even with salivary pellicle. Amounts of candida cells adhered were significantly higher in all the plasma treated surfaces than the unmodified control group (P < 0.001). It was concluded that improving the surface wettability of acrylic resins by glow-discharge plasma in O2 atmosphere increased the adherence of the C. albicans.