Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Polymerized 2-Ethyl-2-oxazoline Based Thin Films for Biomedical Purposes

• Main Authors: Věra Mazánková, Pavel Sťahel, Petra Matoušková, Antonín Brablec, Jan Čech, Lubomír Prokeš, Vilma Buršíková, Monika Stupavská, Marián Lehocký, Kadir Ozaltin, Petr Humpolíček, David Trunec
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
• Series: Polymers
• Subjects: antibiofouling; plasma polymer; oxazoline
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/11/2679

Polyoxazoline thin coatings were deposited on glass substrates using atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization from 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline vapours. The plasma polymerization was performed in dielectric barrier discharge burning in nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. The thin films stable in aqueous environments were obtained at the deposition with increased substrate temperature, which was changed from 20 <inline-formula><math display="inline"><semantics><msup><mrow></mrow><mo>∘</mo></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula>C to 150 <inline-formula><math display="inline"><semantics><msup><mrow></mrow><mo>∘</mo></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula>C. The thin film deposited samples were highly active against both <i>S. aureus</i> and <i>E. coli</i> strains in general. The chemical composition of polyoxazoline films was studied by FTIR and XPS, the mechanical properties of films were studied by depth sensing indentation technique and by scratch tests. The film surface properties were studied by AFM and by surface energy measurement. After tuning the deposition parameters (i.e., monomer flow rate and substrate temperature), stable films, which resist bacterial biofilm formation and have cell-repellent properties, were achieved. Such antibiofouling polyoxazoline thin films can have many potential biomedical applications.