An Investigation of the Surface Chemistry of a Polyetherurethaneurea Biomaterial Using XPS

Abstract

A poly(tetramethylene oxide) [PTMO] based polyetherurethaneurea (PEUU), produced by Polymer Technology Group Inc. (Emeryville, CA) as a Primary Reference Material, was spin-cast from a 3% (w/v) DMAc solution onto a glass cover slip. The polymer coating was analyzed at ambient temperature by XPS using a 55° take-off angle. An elemental survey scan shows the presence of C, N, and O (no trace elements were detected). The C 1s spectrum shows a nearly equal concentration of ether and hydrocarbon environments, suggesting that surface localization of the PTMO soft segment is occuring. A broadened peak at higher binding energy (~289.1 eV) is indicative of the presence of both urea and urethane nitrogens. The N 1s peak location suggests that there is a greater contribution from urea groups. The dominant contributors to the O 1s spectra are ether functionalities. The urea and urethane contributions are apparent as high and low binding energy tails but are too small to be resolved accurately.