Amorphous TiO₂ thin films were respectively annealed by 13.56 MHz radio frequency (RF) atmospheric pressure plasma at discharge powers of 40, 60, 80 W and thermal treatment at its corresponding substrate temperature (T_s). T_s was estimated through three measurement methods (thermocouple, Newton’s law of cooling and OH optical emission spectra simulation) and showed identically close results of 196, 264 and 322 °C, respectively. Comparing with thermal annealing, this RF atmospheric pressure plasma annealing process has obvious effects in improving crystallization of the amorphous films, based on the XRD and Raman analysis of the film. Amorphous TiO₂ film can be changed to anatase film at about 264 °C of T_s for 30 min plasma treatment, while it almost remains amorphous after 322 °C thermal treatment for the same time.

For the ever-increasing demand for highly safe lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the common sol-gel process provides heat-resistance to separators with an inorganic coating, where the adhesion to the separator is the key to safety and stability. In this paper, we present a SiO_2.01C_0.23H_x-coated polyethylene (PE) separator through a roll-to-roll atmospheric plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (R2R-APECVD) of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO)/Ar/O₂. The adhesion strength of SiO_2.01C_0.23H_x-coated PE was tested by peel-off test and found to be higher than that of the commercial Al₂O₃-coated separator (0.28 N/mm vs. 0.06 N/mm). Furthermore, the SiO_2.01C_0.23H_x-coated PE separator showed better electrochemical performance in C-rate and long term cycle tests. FTIR, SEM, and XPS analysis indicate that the increased adhesion and electrochemical performance are attributed to the inner hybrid SiO_2.01C_0.23H_x coating with organic and inorganic components.

Non-thermal plasma brush is employed to deposit stain resistance SiO2-like coatings on resin composite fillings and bovine teeth. With post-treating by plasma, the hardness of the coating increases from H to 8H and water contact angle decreases from 98.8 o to 61.7 o. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results show that, after plasma post-treating, the Si-O-Si and Si-OH bonds of coating increase. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show the coatings are uniform without crack. The coatings present outstanding performance in stain resistance test both on resin composite and bovine teeth. With easy handling, less time-consuming and body-friendly temperature and material, this plasma brush provides a promising in-situ coating method on patient teeth in dental clinic.