Plasma Copolymerization of Ethylene Glycol and Allylamine

Abstract

AbstractThis work presents the plasma copolymerization of Ethylenglycol and Allylamine with the purpose to obtain thin films of biocompatible random polymers with NH and OH chemical groups. The synthesis used electrical glow discharges with mixtures of the monomers at 13.56 MHz, 10−1 mbar and power between 40 and 120 W. The results were thin films of copolymers with NH, CH, OH, and CC groups of the monomers. The main thermal degradation of the plasma copolymers was found between 100 and 500 °C in one step, suggesting that the material behaves as only one chemical species and not as a mixture. The copolymers absorb an average of 6% of water. The contact angles between the polymers and drops of solutions with concentrations of salts similar to those in the human body vary from 20° to 52° increasing with the power of synthesis. The surfaces varied from smooth to rough as the power of synthesis increases. This physical effect appears as the main variable in increasing the contact angles in the plasma copolymers. The electrical conductivity was in the interval of 10−8 and 10−13 S/m and was considerably influenced by the water content in the polymers. All these data suggests that the plasma copolymers are partially hydrophilic and biocompatible.