Goals

The main objective of PlasmaNice is to develop equipment for in-line atmospheric plasma deposition of functional nanocoatings on various fibre- and polymer-based substrates. The project aims at the improvement of recyclability of conventional fossil fuel based plastics and/or the replacement by renewable bio-based (and biodegradable) materials.

Most current materials used for packaging are oil-based, thus produced with resources which are non-renewable. Such resources are limited, cannot be regenerated, and their availability will decline.
The volume of  waste is predicted to continue rising and for this reason not only waste management but also waste prevention are crucial aspects in today’s society. Renewable sources should be preferred and they should be used in a sustainable way, supporting efficiency and encouraging recycling.
The PlasmaNice project aims at the development of a packaging material with an overall better environmental performance. Goals are reducing the consumption of raw materials, a drastic improvement of recyclability of conventional fossil fuel based plastics and/or their replacement by renewable bio-based (and biodegradable) materials.
Looking at the environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire life cycle, from cradle to grave, allows  better integration of sustainability within the product. As prevention is better than cure, to make sure that a product has a lower environmental impact, action should be taken starting from its design. The instrument which permits the  assessment of the environmental impact of a product  during its life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials through transport, production, use, until disposal, is called LCA (Life Cycle Assessment). A new process should also not provide a higher risk to workers and the society compared to established processes and products. Risk and safety analysis is the instrument which is  able to identify and evaluate hazard, focusing on prevention or mitigation of unrecognised drawbacks to ensure the safety of workers and society during production, use and product disposal. The PlasmaNice project will use both LCA and risk analysis to evaluate and monitor the environmental performance and the safety aspects of the new process and products.
 
What is nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology involves “structures, devices and systems having novel properties and functions due to the arrangement of their atoms on the 1 to 100 nanometer scale” (source: The Foresight Institute). Nanotechnology can’t be identified with a single discipline but with a grouping of disciplines such as chemistry, physics, technology, engineering, manufacturing, electronics etc.
 
What is plasma?
In an ordinary gas each atom contains an equal number of positive and negative charges; the positive charges in the nucleus are surrounded by an equal number of negatively charged electrons, and each atom is electrically "neutral." A gas becomes a plasma when the addition of heat or other energy causes a significant number of atoms to release some or all of their electrons. The remaining parts of those atoms are left with a positive charge, and the detached negative electrons are free to move about. Those atoms and the resulting electrically charged gas are said to be "ionized." (source: Coalition for Plasma Science)
Plasma is the fourth state of matter, the others are solid, liquid and gas. More than 99% of matter which the universe is made of is plasma, but on Earth plasma is more rarely found in nature. Examples are lightning and polar aurora. The sun is made by plasma for more than  99,9%.
 
Why are plasma and nanotechnology coming together in this project?
Injecting nanosised solid, liquid or gaseous precursors in the plasma discharge allows the tailoring of the surface on the nanometre level towards desired multifunctional properties. Due to the non-equilibrium thermodynamic conditions, chemical precursors are fragmented into reactive species which react with each other and the surface to produce a coating. Plasma and nanotechnology are combined in order to develop innovative multifunctional coatings with a reduced environmental impact.
 
Why nanotechnology?
On the nanoscale many materials display properties that they don’t have on larger scales. Nanotechnology aims at creating and developing improved materials, devices and systems that exploit such characteristics.
And if you would like to know more, Los Alamos National Laboratory identifies five specific reasons why this length scale is so important:
  • The wavelike properties of electrons inside matter are influenced by variations on the nanometer scale. By patterning matter on the nanometer length scale, it is possible to vary fundamental properties of materials (for instance, melting temperature, magnetization, charge capacity) without changing the chemical composition.
  • The systematic organization of matter on the nanometer length scale is a key feature of biological systems. Nanotechnology promises to allow us to place artificial components and assemblies inside cells, and to make new materials using the self-assembly methods of nature. This is a powerful new combination of materials science and biotechnology.
  • Nanoscale components have very high surface areas, making them ideal for use in composite materials, reacting systems, drug delivery, and energy storage.
  • The finite size of material entities, as compared to the molecular scale, determines an increase in  the relative importance of surface tension and local electromagnetic effects, making nanostructured materials harder and less brittle.
  • The interaction wavelength scales of various external wave phenomena become comparable to the material entity size, making materials suitable for various optoelectronic applications.

How small is nano?
Nanometre is a basic unit of measurement. “Nano” derives from the Greek word for midget, very small thing. One nanometre is a billionth of a metre. If we divide a metre by 1 thousand we have a millimetre. One thousandth of a millimetre is a micron. A thousandth part of a micron is a nanometre. To put the nanoscale in perspective, the width of an average human hair is 50.000 nm, a red blood cell is 5.000 nm in diameter, a virus has a diameter of 10-100 nanometres, the diameter of a hydrogen atom is 0,1 nm. The human eye can see things as small as 10.000 nm.
 
 
What is nanotechnology used for?
Nanotechnology is revealing a new world of opportunities of which we are now seeing just the tip of the iceberg. Nanotechnology will enable radical, breakthrough innovation in any science and technological field. Nanotechnology can be useful in medicine for more effective disease detection, to improve equipment and disease treatment. It can also be used to improve global communication and facilitate access to education. Nanotechnology can enable the development of devices and techniques reducing water and energy use, or make clean, drinkable water more easily available. Less polluting technologies will be made available and solar energy will be more widely used with completely new applications. These are just a few examples. The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies Inventory, while not comprehensive, already counts more than 1000 nanotechnology-based consumer products. 
 
Is nanotechnology safe?
Any technology has an impact on man and nature, that being benefits but also risks. Risk, or potential for harm, is proportional to the hazard and exposure, where hazard is the source of potential damage under certain conditions. As many materials present unique properties on the nanoscale, the effect of those nanoparticles might also be unpredictable and lead to health and environmental hazards. This raises concern relating to safety during production, use and to the management of nanoparticles in the disposal phase. The development of new materials needs such risks  to be evaluated and addressed taking into consideration any single phase of the new material or product life cycle.
 
Is the nanotechnology applied in the PlasmaNice project safe?
Health and safety aspects of the new technology and products will be assessed with an appropriate methodology based on a comparative approach with established processes and products. Potential emerging risks will be investigated and confronted with other EU projects dealing with nanotechnology safety, resulting in mutual benefits. The outcome of risk and safety assessment will be used in the design phase to develop safety measures right from the beginning to ensure the health of the operators and safety during use and waste management. All safety aspects of the nanotechnology applied within the PlasmaNice project will be publicly communicated.
 
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Plasma: In an ordinary gas each atom contains an equal number of positive and negative charges; the positive charges in the nucleus are surrounded by an equal number of negatively charged electrons, and each atom is electrically "neutral." A gas becomes a plasma when the addition of heat or other energy causes a significant number of atoms to release some or all of their electrons. The remaining parts of those atoms are left with a positive charge, and the detached negative electrons are free to move about. Those atoms and the resulting electrically charged gas are said to be "ionized." (source: Coalition for Plasma Science)
Non-renewable resources: a natural resource which cannot be produced and which cannot be replaced at the same rate as its consumption.
Nanotechnology: Nanotechnology involves “structures, devices and systems having novel properties and functions due to the arrangement of their atoms on the 1 to 100 nanometer scale” (source: The Foresight Institute). Nanotechnology can’t be identified with a single discipline but with a grouping of disciplines such as chemistry, physics, technology, engineering, manufacturing, electronics etc.
LCA: LCA is a tool for the analysis of the environmental impact of a product along its entire life cycle from the extraction of raw materials through production, transportation, use until the end of its life.
Precursor: a compound that through chemical reactions changes into another compound.
Risk: risk is the potential for harm and is proportional to hazard and exposure.