Plasma polymerization of allylamine is performed both in continuous wave and pulsed mode. Chemical derivatization is applied to determine primary and secondary amine concentration. Primary amines are efficiently formed, but secondary amines are more abundant. A polymerization mechanism is proposed to account for the difference in amine content obtained from comparison between continuous wave and pulsed mode plasma polymerization. The AFM measurements performed on ultrathin (1-10 nm) plasma polymers confirm the continuity of films and that the film growth on silicon occurs via a layer-by-layer mechanism because no islandlike structures were detected.

Thermal decomposition of PEO under vacuum was used in combination with a glow discharge to deposit PEO‐like plasma polymer films. Evaporation without plasma allows the deposition of films with chemical composition very close to that of the original PEO, albeit with a lower average of molar mass. The application of plasma during vacuum evaporation leads to enhancement of crosslinking within the films, yet at the expense of reduced retention of ether structure. Non‐fouling properties and thrombogenicity of the plasma polymers were studied in terms of adhesion of blood proteins (albumin, immunoglobulin and fibrinogen) and promoting a thrombin induced fibrinogen/fibrin polymerization cascade.

Two monomers, ethylenediamine (EDA) and diaminocyclohexane (DACH), were plasma-polymerized in continuous-wave (CW) and pulse modes. The influence of different plasma parameters on the deposition rate and film composition were investigated in detail and the changes in aminofunctionalization with varying pulse parameters were examined by FTIR, ESCA, and chemical-derivatization techniques. It was shown that a varying duty cycle does not produce a considerable effect on the retention of amine groups into the film, while power and t on play a significant role in the polymerization process. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 979 -990, 2004