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Wettability enhancement of polystyrene with electron cyclotron resonance plasma with argon
Author(s) -
Guruvenket S.,
Komath Manoj,
Vijayalakshmi S. P.,
Raichur A. M.,
Mohan Rao G.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.12816
Subject(s) - contact angle , wetting , electron cyclotron resonance , polystyrene , materials science , scanning electron microscope , surface modification , microwave , glow discharge , analytical chemistry (journal) , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , argon , attenuated total reflection , polymer , plasma , composite material , optics , chemistry , chromatography , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Polystyrene cell‐culture substrates were treated with argon glow discharge to make their surfaces hydrophilic. The process was novel in that it used a microwave electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) source for polymer surface modification. The substrates were processed at different microwave powers and time periods, and the surface modification was assessed with by measurement of the water contact angle. A decrease in contact angle was observed with increasing microwave power and processing time. Beyond a certain limit of power and duration of exposure, however, surface deterioration occurred. The optimum conditions for making the surfaces hydrophilic without deterioration of the samples were identified. The plasma parameters were assessed by Langmuir probe measurement. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance showed evidence for the induction of hydrophilicity on the surface. The surface micromorphology was examined with scanning electron microscopy. The results prove that the ECR glow discharge was an efficient method for enhancing the wettability of the polymer surfaces. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 1618–1623, 2003