Tokai National Higher Education and Research System

Jozef Stefan Institute

Institut Jozef Stefan

Institut “jo{hacek Over (z)}ef Stefan”

Tomas Bata University in Zlín

Alenka Vesel

Miran Mozetic

Rok Zaplotnik

Gregor Primc

Masaru Hori

Uros Cvelbar

Nina Recek

Petr Stloukal

Vladimír Sedlarík

Marián Lehocký

Petr Humpolícek

The present disclosure relates to methods for depositing vertically oriented carbon nanowalls (CNWs) using non-equilibrium gases such as gaseous plasma. Methods are disclosed for rapid deposition of uniformly distributed nanowalls on large surfaces of substrates using ablation of bulk carbon materials by reactive gaseous species, formation of oxidized carbon-containing gaseous molecules, ionization of said molecules and interacting said molecules, neutral or positively charged, with a substrate. The CNWs prepared are useful in different applications such as fuel cells, lithium ion batteries, photovoltaic devices and sensors of specific gaseous molecules.

Carbon nanostructured materials and methods for forming carbon nanostructured materials

Methods for modification of surface wettability of fluorine-containing polymers by sequential treatments first with gaseous plasma rich in ultraviolet radiation, and then oxidation using neutral reactive oxidative species. The methods are rapid and permit treatment of fluorine-containing polymers of any shape and size including 'infinite' materials such as foils. A surface layer of an object made from a fluorine-containing polymer is depleted of fluorine upon interaction with gaseous plasma rich in ultraviolet radiation. The depleted surface layer is then exposed to reactive oxygen species such as neutral oxygen atoms in the ground state. The wettability of objects made from or containing fluorine-containing polymers treated according to the methods of the present disclosure is close to the theoretical limit for smooth polymers well functionalized with polar functional groups. Unlike conventional treatment of fluorine-containing polymers with oxygen plasma, the methods of the present disclosure do not produce hazardous gases such as oxy or peroxy fluorinated carbon compounds.

Method of increasing the hydrophilicity of a fluorine-containing polymer

A method for the partial or total modification of functional groups on the surface of polymeric materials or polymer-containing materials, by means of combined plasma functionalization and localized thermal defunctionalization, is disclosed. At first, a surface of a polymer material is exposed to a cold plasma, whereby a desired polymer functionalization is achieved. After the plasma treatment, the surface is locally heated in an optional manner, primarily by means of an electron beam, resulting in local defunctionalization of the heated surface area. The directing of the electron beam across the surface of the material results in any desired distribution of functional groups on the surface. Also disclosed is a device for performing such a treatment.

Method and device for local functionalization of polymer materials

A method and a device for measuring ultrahigh vacuum are disclosed. The method includes providing a vacuum cold cathode pressure gauge and varying a voltage on an anode of the pressure cell with pressure in such a way that an ion current flow is maintained substantially at its maximum value at all times. A voltage-controlled source either (1) preliminarily scans a whole voltage range, for example, between 1 kV and 12 kV, in a relatively short time, and subsequently sets the source to the voltage, at which the current is substantially at its maximum value or (2) based on a calibration of the gauge, sets the voltage, for a given pressure, to the value that has been previously stored as substantially optimal. The device operates at a voltage that varies with pressure in such a way that the ion current is maintained substantially at its maximum value at all times. The device is characterized in that an anode of the pressure gauge cell is connected to a voltage-controlled source capable of providing a varying voltage.

Method and device for measuring ultrahigh vacuum

Growing community of inventors

Trzin, Slovenia

Alenka Vesel