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UV Grafting of a Vinyl Monomer Onto a Methanol Plasma Polymer
Author(s) -
Muir Benjamin W.,
Tarasova Anna
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
plasma processes and polymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1612-8869
pISSN - 1612-8850
DOI - 10.1002/ppap.201200017
Subject(s) - photoinitiator , monomer , materials science , polymer , photopolymer , chemical engineering , polymerization , polymer chemistry , methacrylate , coating , polyethylene glycol , plasma polymerization , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , composite material , engineering
Abstract We have shown that it is possible to graft a vinyl monomer from a plasma polymer surface in the presence of UV light without the use of a photoinitiator. A polyethylene glycol methacrylate (PEGMA) coating can be grown from the surface of a methanol plasma polymer via photopolymerization. It is proposed that the graft polymerization occurs from the generation and initiation of surface radicals by the applied UV light, in the methanol plasma polymer and the PEGMA monomer in solution. The coatings were characterised using X‐ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). AFM analysis showed the interaction forces obtained between a silica probe and the PEGMA graft coatings to be repulsive and long‐ranged. The PEGMA coating was shown to be low fouling when placed in a protein solution.