Low temperature plasma vapor treatment of thermo-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and its application

In this study, the novel methods of depositing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) coatings on the surface of glass slides and PS petri dish by plasma polymerization are provided. PNIPAAm can be obtained by plasma polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide by using the self-made equipment of plasma vapor treatment. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contact angle. SEM analysis has revealed that the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) coatings were formed on the surface of the smooth glass slides. Further evaluation by using XPS, it has shown the presence of PNIPAAm. The wettability can be significantly modified by changing of the temperatures at above and below of the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) from the data of the contact angle test. These results have advantage for further application on the thermo-sensitive textile materials. On the deposition of PNIPAAm onto Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT) melt-blown nonwovens in atmospheric pressure plasma, water permeability was significantly modified at around LCST. Due to the LCST is close to the temperature of human body, it has advantage on application of PBT melt-blown nonwovens. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.