Surface modification by plasma polymerization: film deposition, tailoring of surface properties and biocompatibility

The work described in this thesis concerns the surface modification of materials by thin film deposition in a plasma reactor. In particular, thin polymeric films bearing amine functionalities were synthesized by plasma polymerization of amino group containing monomers. In addition to the synthesis, attention was directed towards the characterization of these films, and the tailoring of their surface properties on a molecular level. Finally, the amino groups introduced by plasma polymerization were used for the subsequent immobilization of graft polymers and biomolecules.