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.
In contrast to other plasma modification processes of polymer surfaces, the bromination is very selective and shows a high yield in C—Br groups. The most convenient bromination process was found using bromoform, which was thus preferred to elemental bromine, allyl bromide, vinyl bromide or tert-butylbromide. The bromoform process give yields in C—Br up to 40 C—Br or more, with only 2-3% co-introduction of O-functionalities whereas allyl bromide results in yields of about 20 C—Br and more, but in more than 10% oxygen-containing by-products. C—Br groups serve as anchoring points for grafting of molecules, oligomers and pre-polymers of diole or diamine character.