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Plasma chemical methods are well suited for introducing functional groups to the surface of chemically inert polymers such as polyolefins. However, a broad variety of functional groups is often formed. Unfortunately, for further chemical processing such as grafting of molecules for advanced applications a highly dense and monotype functionalized polyolefin surface is needed. Therefore, the main task was to develop a selective surface functionalization process, which forms preferably one type of functional groups at the surface in high and variable concentration. Amongst the novel plasma methods, the under-water plasma process (UWP) is one of most attractive to solve the problem of monotype functionalization. Such plasma is an efficient source of ions, electrons, UV-radiation, high frequency shock waves, radicals such as hydroxyl radical and reactive neutral molecules such as hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen and oxygen. It was found that underwater plasma and the closely related glow discharge electrolysis are interesting new methods for polymer surface functionalization. An effective modification into the topmost surface chemistry of polymer layer was observed by the collective effect of wet-chemistry, electrochemistry, atmospheric gas discharges, irradiation, and shock waves. Underwater capillary discharge was seen more effective in -OH functionalization and was largely seen as a flow dominated process because of the shock wave turbulences. Using such water-based plasma a fraction of 25-40% of all O-functional groups was produced as OH-groups in comparison to <10% OH produced in the oxygen low- pressure plasma. The exact concentration of the OH functionality was studied by TFAA gas phase derivatization and measuring the respective fluorine concentration by photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In contrast to established gas phase glow discharge processes, the water phase absorbs and therefore limits the particle and radiation energy and thus the energy input into the polymer. Extensive oxidation, degradation, cross-linking and radical formation in the polymer is more limited than under gas plasma exposure because of the liquid water environment, which moderates high energetic plasma species. The variety of plasma produced species in the water phase is also much smaller because of the limited reaction possibilities of the plasma with water. The possibility to admix a broad variety of chemical additives makes underwater plasma additionally highly attractive for the chemist. At last, the water removes all low-molecular weight oxidized products formed by plasma-induced polymer degradation. Hydrogen peroxide and the catalyst (Fe-ZSM5) should influence or increase the equilibrium concentration of OH radicals in the underwater process. It was supposed that these radicals play the most important role for OH functionalization of polyolefin surfaces. Hydrogen peroxide was believed to be the most prominent precursor for OH group formation in the UWP. The catalyst should modulate the steady state of OH group formation and recombination, and thus accelerate the functionalization. This was confirmed by an increased oxidation rate. Owing to the detection limit of XPS the C-O bond selectivity was defined as clearly resolvable subpeak within the C1s signal assigned to C-OH, C-O-C and other singly C-O bonded species. This bondamounts 47 C-O bonds/100 O atoms with pure UWP system and enhances to a maximum of the 81 C-O bonds/100 O atoms using the Fe-ZSM5 catalyst system. Therefore, this method exhibits a great progress for a start. However, after TFAA derivatization the fraction of desired OH groups could not be significantly increased. In the continuation acetic acid, acrylic acid, maleic and itaconic acid were used as additive monomers. The chemical selectivity in -COOH bond formation using bi-carboxylic additives was seen inferior. Acetic acid is not a chemically polymerizing monomer but it could polymerize by monomer/molecular fragmentation and recombination to a cross linked layer. The other monomers form preferably water-soluble polymers on a preferred chemical way. Only the fragmented fraction of these monomers could form an insoluble coating by cross linking to substrate. The XPS analysis was used to track the alterations in COO- bond percentage on the PP surface. To identify the -COOH groups on substrate surface unambiguously, which have survived the plasma polymerization process, the gas phase derivatization with trifluoroethanol was performed. A much higher yield in COOH groups was achieved using the glow discharge electrolysis and acrylic acid.
The production of chemically-defined plasma polymers and the introduction of monotype functional groups onto polymer surfaces are described. One method is to lower the energetic level of low-pressure plasmas. Pressure- and plasma-pulsed plasmas were successfully tested for the production of chemically-defined plasma polymers by increasing the monomer supply during the plasma-off period. Well-defined ultra-thin polymer films with regular structure were deposited from atmospheric plasmas by electrospray techniques. Post-plasma wet-chemical processing was also applied, as were gas/liquid-based aerosols and underwater plasmas.
Selective surface functionalisation of polypropylene films using the underwater capillary discharge
(2007)
Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene membranes were modified and subsequently polymer coated using the underwater plasma produced by glow discharge electrolysis. This plasma pretreatment generated various O-functional groups among them OH groups have dominated. This modified inner (pore) surface of membranes showed complete wetting and strong adhesion to a hydrogel copolymerized by glow discharge electrolysis also. The deposited hydrogel consists of plasma polymerized acrylic acid crosslinked by copolymerization with the bifunctional N,N'-methylenebis(acrylamide). Tuning the hydrogel hydrophilicity and bio-compatibility poly(ethylene glycol) was chemically inserted into the copolymer. Such saturated polymer could only be inserted on a non-classic way by (partial) fragmentation and recombination thus demonstrating the exotic properties of the underwater plasma. The modification of membrane was achieved by squeezing the reactive plasma solution into the pores by plasma-induced shock waves and supported by intense stirring. The deposited copolymer hydrogel has filled all pores also in the inner of membrane as shown by scanning electron microscopy of cross-sections. The copolymer shows the characteristic units of acrylic acid and ethylene glycol as demonstrated by infrared spectroscopy. A minimum loss in carboxylic groups of acrylic acid during the plasma polymerization process was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Additional cell adhesion tests on copolymer coated polyethylene using IEC-6 cells demonstrated the bio-compatibility of the plasma-deposited hydrogel.
Plasma chemical methods are well suited for introducing functional groups to the surfaces of chemically inert polymers such as polyolefins. However, a broad variety of functional groups are often formed. Unfortunately, for further chemical processing such as grafting of molecules for advanced applications a highly dense monotype functionalized polyolefin surface is needed. Therefore, the main task was to develop a selective surface functionalization process, which formed preferably only a single type of functional groups at the surface in high concentration. Amongst the novel plasma methods, the underwater plasma process (UWP) is one of most attractive options to solve the problem of monotype functionalization. Such plasma is an efficient source of ions, electrons, UV-radiation, high-frequency shock waves, radicals such as hydroxyl radical, and reactive neutral molecules such as hydrogen peroxide. In contrast to established gas phase glow discharge processes, the water phase limits the particle and radiation energies and thus the energy input into the polymer. By virtue of the liquid water environment, which moderates highly energetic plasma species, extensive oxidation, degradation, cross-linking and radical formation on the polymer are more limited as compared to gas plasma exposure. The variety of plasma produced species in the water phase is also much smaller because of the limited reaction possibilities of the plasma with water. The possibility to admix a broad variety of chemical additives makes underwater plasma even more attractive. Hydrogen peroxide and the catalyst (Fe-ZSM5) should influence and increase the equilibrium concentration of OH radicals in the underwater plasma process. It was found that these radicals played a very important role in OH functionalization of polyolefin surfaces. Hydrogen peroxide was identified to be the most prominent precursor for OH group formation in the UWP. The catalyst would affect the steady state of OH radical formation and its reaction with the substrate surface and thus accelerates the functionalization process.