Plasma-induced graft polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate on poly(tetrafluoroethylene) films for reduction in protein adsorption

Argon plasma-induced graft polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) on H2 plasma-pretreated poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) films was carried out to render the PTFE surfaces hydrophilic and protein-repellent. The surface microstructure and composition of the PEGMA graft-polymerized PTFE surfaces from plasma induction were characterized by water contact angle, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements. The extent of cross-linking in the plasma-polymerized PEGMA (pp-PEGMA) was estimated by gel fraction determination. In general, an appropriate RF power of approximately 15 W and glow discharge time of 60 s for polymerization produced a high graft yield of pp-PEGMA on the H2 plasma-pretreated PTFE surface (the pp-PEGMA-g-PTFE surface). The hydrophilicity of the PTFE surfaces was greatly enhanced by the presence of pp-PEGMA. The PTFE surface with a high density of the grafted pp-PEGMA was very effective in preventing bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein adsorption.