Plasma-polymerized polymers water contact angles

UV irradiation and plasma treatment. However, it has been observed that the water contact angle of the treated polymer surfaces increases gradually with time, thereby making them hydrophobic and less biocompatible. The phenomenon is called hydrophobic recovery of polymeric biomaterials and is being addressed in detail [36]. 

They used amphiphilic methacrylate polymer with a ternary amino group, poly(A,A-diisopropylaminoethyl methacrylate (DlPAM)-co-n-decyl methacrylate (DMA)) (PDD), composed of 25 unitmol% of DMA in the polymer as a polymeric additive to SPU. The content of the PDD in the SPU was in the range of 1-5 wt%. The surface characteristics of the SPU/PDD polymer alloy were examined by XPS and dynamic contact angle measurements with water. These evaluations revealed that the PDD was located on the surface of the polymer alloy. This induced a more hydrophilic and movable surface compared with untreated SPU. Protein adsorption from human plasma was also reduced on the surface of the SPU/PDD polymer alloy. During the blending process, the solubility of the polymer added to the SPU is important. The solubility parameter of the polymer is one of the factors used to estimate the blending state of both polymers. 

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