Recent theoretical and experimental advancements in the application of the van Oss–Chaudhury–Good acid–base theory to the analysis of polymer surfaces II. Some peculiar cases

Abstract

—According to the general guidelines presented in the accompanying paper, some relevant examples of common polymer surfaces are analysed and discussed; a number of polymers commercially available or laboratory synthesized have been analysed. In particular, the case of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), often considered as peculiar in the literature, is fully analysed on the basis of a new set of well-prepared samples, whose compositions were checked by high-vacuum spectroscopies. 'Equilibrium' contact angles, obtained by a new experimental technique, are presented. The results are, however, preliminary, because the final set of liquids used is not so 'well equilibrated' as possible, from the point of view of acid–base properties. The contact angle data obtained are analysed in a non-linear way to calculate the acid–base components of all the liquids and solids. The results are discussed and compared with those obtained from liquid–liquid interfaces presented in the accompanying paper. The physico-chemical features of these samples have also been compared with the adhesion properties of some bacterial cells, commonly found as infective agents on biomaterials surfaces of medical devices, in order to rationalize these results within the theoretical framework of acid–base theory.