Abstract
Bacterial cellulose presents itself as an alternative to traditional textiles due to its versatility, aesthetics, mechanical similarity to leather and, most importantly, sustainability in production processes. However, its use depends on surface modifications that promote suitable performance in fashion products, due to its high hydrophilicity. A less polluting alternative is the plasma treatment, which does not involve effluents or solid or liquid waste. In this context, this study aims to use the cathodic cage plasma process, an environmentally friendly technique, to reduce the hydrophilic nature of bacterial cellulose for its application in the fashion industry. Samples were produced from kombucha and treated through a modified low-pressure cold plasma system, named cathodic cage plasma. The influence of the gas mixture (Ar/acetylene and Ar/acetylene/H2), treatment time and duty cycle was evaluated. The samples were characterized through wetting behavior (contact angle), FTIR, TG and dTG, XPS and FEG-SEM. The cultivated bacterial cellulose exhibited apparent flexibility, roughness, and some transparency. The plasma treatment was proven effective, forming a thin hydrocarbon film on the surface of the BC, sufficient to decrease the hydrophilicity and purify it without degradation. The bacterial cellulose could be made hydrophobic by using parameters such as a longer treatment time, a combination of gases without the addition of hydrogen, and a lower duty cycle (from the most to the least influential factor, respectively). Plasma treatment mitigated the common issues of hydrophilic bacterial cellulose without the need to introduce processes that generate effluents or waste while maintaining the material’s biodegradability.
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The authors would like to thank LabPlasma and the Multi-User Facility infrastructure from Santa Catarina State University's Technological Sciences Center. This work was supported by FAPESC-Santa Catarina-Brazil and CNPq-Brazil fundings, through project FAPESC-PAP-Apl 2023TR001363.
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A.A.I.R, T.T.S., L.C.F and D.Bond conceived and planned the experiments. A.A.I.R and T.T.S. carried out the experiments. J.C.S. and D.Becker contributed to sample characterization. All authors contributed to the interpretation of the results. A.A.I.R., T.T.S. and D.Bond wrote the manuscript in consultation with J.C.S., L.R.L. and L.C.F. All authors provided critical feedback and helped shape the research, analysis, and manuscript.
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Rolim, A.A.I., Steffen, T.T., Becker, D. et al. Plasma surface treatment of bacterial cellulose to increase hydrophobicity. Cellulose (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-024-05911-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-024-05911-y