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.

Hydroxyapatite/poly-L-lactide (HAp/PLLA) is a ceramic/polymer composite, whose application as a resorbable biomaterial for the substitution and repair of hard bone tissue is widely promising in orthopedic, oral, maxillofacial, and reconstructive surgery. Hot processing is a necessary step for obtaining HAp/PLLA composite blocks with mechanical properties similar to those of bones. In this article, the changes in structure and physicochemical properties of HAp/PLLA composite, hot pressed for different pressing times (5, 15, 30, 45, and 60 min), were studied. Because the morphology of HAp/PLLA composite biomaterial is very sensitive to this procedure, its surface microstructure was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with an energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) detector system. Structural changes occurring in the material, mostly changes in crystallinity of PLLA, were studied by wide-angle X-ray structural analyses (WAXS) and infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC), the influence of hot pressing on the properties, crystallization kinetics, and decomposition of HAp/PLLA composite biomaterial was analyzed.

The electromechanical behavior of isotropic dielectrics with emphasis on cross-linked polymers (elastomers) as a special case is briefly discussed. Errors often committed in the derivation of expressions used in interpretation of experimental results are pointed out.

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