Static secondary ion mass spectrometric investigation of the glow-discharge-treated surfaces

Previously, a nonfouling surface containing polyethylene oxide (PEO) has been developed using a glow discharge process. In this process, a PEO surfactant is first deposited on a hydrophobic polymer surface via a solvent evaporation method. Then the surfactant is crosslinked to the substrate surface by an argon RFGD treatment. A dramatic reduction of protein adsorption and platelet adhesion on the treated surface was observed only when treated with a low power (<5 W) and short treatment time (30 s). In this study, a static secondary ion mass spectrometry (SSIMS) was used to investigate the possible structure changes of PEO chains in the glow-discharge-treated surfactants. Results from this study suggest that the increased protein adsorption and platelet adhesion at longer treatment times (>30 s) are most likely due to degradation of PEO chains in the RFGD-treated surfactant (along with minor surface oxidation).