Novel polymer coatings based on plasma polymerized 2-methoxyethyl acrylate

Poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) (PMEA) is cited as the most blood compatible polyme~l]. Modification of polymer surfaces with PMEA has recently brought to improved materials for such applications[1,2]. Recently PMEA and its block copolymers with PMMA with controlled characteristics have been synthesized by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP)[3]. This enabled a surface segregation of the more hydrophilic block to the polymer/air interface and enrichment of the surface with PMEA. Here we present another way to modify a surface with this material - plasma polymerization in a low energy plasma system[4]. The system named SoftPlasma™ is equipped with unique three-phase pulsed AC voltage. Low energy plasma polymerization has almost no thermal load for sensitive polymer materials[5]. Plasma polymerized coatings are highly cross-linked, pin-hole free and provide hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties[4-6]. We have exploited these possibilities and prepared plasma polymerized 2-methoxyethyl acrylate (PPMEA) coatings on various polymer substrates. The PPMEA coatings were optimized using various plasma polymerization conditions and characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy, Atomic force spectroscopy and Water contact-angle measurements. The microstructures ofPPMEA coatings with different thicknesses were also studied. For practical applications in mind, the coating stability was tested in different media (air, water, acetone, phosphate-buffered saline).