Using 1,8-cineole plasma with both pulsed and continuous depositions to modify commercially available wound dressing materials

The current clinical standards for infected chronic wounds are oral and topical antibiotics. These strategies are problematic because antibiotic resistance can occur with prolonged use. As an alternative to clinical methods, essential oils show promise in preventing bacterial growth. Specifically, 1,8-cineole—an active component in eucalyptus oil—exhibits antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Applying 1,8-cineole directly onto a wound is challenging, however, due to its volatile nature. To combat this issue, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) has been established as a method to deposit a stable 1,8-cineole-derived film on model surfaces (e.g., glass and electrospun polystyrene nanofibers). The current study represents an extension of previous work, where both pulsed and continuous 1,8-cineole plasmas were used to deposit a 1,8-cineole-derived film on two commercially available wound dressings. Three surface analyses were conducted to characterize the plasma-modified dressings. First, water contact angle goniometry data demonstrated a decrease in hydrofiber wettability after treatment. Through scanning electron spectroscopy, the surface morphology of both materials did not change upon treatment. When comparing pulsed and continuous treatments, deconvolution of high-resolution C1s x-ray photoelectron spectra showed no differences in functional group retention. Importantly, the chemical compositions of treated wound dressings were different compared to untreated materials. Overall, this work seeks to elucidate how different PECVD parameters affect the surface properties of wound dressings. Understanding these parameters represents a key step toward developing alternative chronic wound therapies.