Formation of more stable hydrophilic surfaces of PDMS by plasma and chemical treatments

In the present work hydrophilic stability of Sylgard 184 poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) was studied with the objective to create more stable hydrophilic surfaces. The surface modification of PDMS was carried out by conventional (oxygen plasma) and unconventional plasma modification (2-step modification using oxygen and C2F6) processes and also by chemical grafting using oxygen plasma polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). The hydrophilic stability of the modified surfaces was monitored as a function of time elapsed after treatment and quantified. The surfaces were characterized using static contact angle measurements and Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.