6. Conclusion and outlook

The treatment chosen for this study involved plasma deposition on 316L stainless steel of a film of silver "nanoclusters" embedded in a polymer matrix. The anti-adhesive effectiveness of the modified surface was demonstrated on a model micro-organism (baker's yeast S. cerevisiae). In fact, total detachment of the yeasts was obtained in a shear flow chamber at a moderate shear stress of 20 Pa, whereas no detachment was observed on the blank steel surface, despite the application of a maximum stress of 100 Pa. Under the experimental conditions adopted (150 mM NaCl medium), no toxic effects of silver were observed. Ageing analysis of the plasma-modified surface, via three repeated cleaning/contamination cycles, showed that its non-stick effect was maintained.

Further work should be devoted to extending the promising results obtained here. The composition of the film...