Poly(ethylene oxide)‐like Plasma Polymers Produced by Plasma‐Assisted Vacuum Evaporation

Abstract

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.

Functionalizable low-fouling coatings for label-free biosensing in complex biological media: advances and applications

“…PEG-like surfaces have also been prepared by plasma polymerization and/or deposition techniques [137][138][139]. These coatings have been revealed to reduce the adsorption of BSA, IgG, and Fbg [138,139].…”

Does Cross‐Link Density of PEO‐Like Plasma Polymers Influence their Resistance to Adsorption of Fibrinogen?

“…Therefore, the monomers are low‐molar‐mass volatile substances. Nevertheless, it has been recently shown that vacuum thermal degradation of conventional polymers can be utilized as a source of higher molar mass species 4, 5. In this case, the polymer is heated under rarefied inert atmosphere to a temperature at which thermal decomposition of macromolecular chains occurs.…”

“…Although low‐molar‐mass fragments are also released, they are effectively removed by the pumping system and do not participate in the film formation. Thus, the flux of emitted PEO oligomers is analogous to the flow of vapors of organic precursors, except that it does not consist of a single type species but is rather characterized by a distribution of molar masses, with the average exceeding 1 000 g · mol −1 4, 5. Oligomers released as a result of vacuum thermal degradation of PEO can condense on the substrate to form a polymeric film.…”

Non-Equilibrium Plasma Processing for the Preparation of Antibacterial Surfaces

“…Such surfaces are defined as “non-fouling” or “anti-fouling” [42,43,44]. This property is believed to correlate strongly with the hydration layer at the PEO surface [45], attributed to the presence of hydrophilic ether (CH 2 -CH 2 -O) n .…”