title: Fabrication and Characterization of Thermoresponsive Films Deposited by an RF Plasma Reactor.
abstract: Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAM) undergoes a sharp property change in response to a moderate thermal stimulus at physiological temperatures. In this work, we constructed a radio frequency (RF) plasma reactor for the plasma polymerization of pNIPAM. RF deposition is a method that coats surfaces of any geometry producing surfaces that are sterile and uniform, making this technique useful for forming biocompatible films. The films generated are characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angles, cell culture, and interferometry. We find that a plasma with a decreasing series of power settings (i.e., from 100W to 1W) at a pressure of 140 millitorr yields the most favorable results.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, University of New Mexico.
authors.forename: Adrianne E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Lucero
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, University of New Mexico.
authors.forename: Jamie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, University of New Mexico.
authors.forename: Xiaomei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, University of New Mexico.
authors.forename: Heather E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Canavan
keywords: ESCA/XPS; biocompatibility; cell culture; contact angle (CA); plasma polymerization