Method for depositing fluorocarbon films on polymer surfaces
View Patent ↗A method for forming a carbon-containing layer on a polymeric substrate is disclosed. The polymeric substrate is modified physically and chemically using an inductively coupled plasma process. The carbon-containing layer can be fluorocarbon film with different physicochemical properties and structure.
1. An article comprising:
a polymeric substrate comprising a modified surface, wherein the modified surface is a physically modified surface comprising a crosslinked region;
a fluorocarbon film on the modified surface of the polymeric substrate,
wherein the fluorocarbon film is grafted to at least a portion of the polymeric substrate; and
a biocompatible layer on the fluorocarbon film.
2. The article of claim 1 , wherein the article is produced by a process comprising:
exposing a polymeric substrate to an inductively coupled plasma, thereby creating a modified surface on the polymeric substrate;
depositing a fluorocarbon film on the modified surface of the polymeric substrate, wherein the fluorocarbon film is grafted to the polymeric substrate; and
forming a biocompatible layer on the fluorocarbon film.
3. The article of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the exposing and the depositing comprises positioning a shield above the polymeric substrate.
4. The article of claim 1 wherein the fluorocarbon film comprises a cross-linked region.
5. The article of claim 4 wherein the fluorocarbon film further comprises an uncrosslinked region, the uncross-linked region being further from the substrate than the crosslinked region.
6. The article of claim 4 , wherein the fluorocarbon film has 46% or less crosslinking.
7. The article of claim 4 , wherein the fluorocarbon film has an F/C ratio of 1.60 or more.
8. The article of claim 4 , wherein the fluorocarbon film has a connectivity, m, of 2.39 or less.
9. The article of claim 1 wherein the polymeric substrate comprises a low-density or high-density polymeric material.
10. The article of claim 1 wherein the polymeric substrate comprises a low-density polymeric material.
11. The article of claim 1 wherein the biocompatible layer comprises proteins or cells.
12. The article of claim 1 wherein the article comprises a medical device having a tubular structure.
13. The article of claim 1 wherein the article comprises a medical device having a tubular structure, a concave shape, a convex shape, or other shape.
14. The article of claim 1 , wherein the modified surface of the polymeric substrate is a chemically modified surface.
15. The article of claim 14 , wherein the chemically modified surface comprises polar functional groups.
16. The article of claim 1 , wherein the fluorocarbon film has a thickness of 120 nm or less.
17. The article of claim 1 , wherein the asperity size and/or asperity height of the fluorocarbon film increases as an energy per monomer mass of the fluorocarbon film increases.
18. The article of claim 1 , wherein the fluorocarbon film has a contact angle of 110 degrees or more.