Modification of membrane surfaces by plasma deposition of thin fluorocarbon films without affecting bulk properties

The deposition of films from an argon plasma containing a mixture of ethylene oxide or hydrogen and perfluorohexane was tried to obtain very hydrophobic, less hydrophobic and intermediate coatings. This paper studies more extensively the deposition of a thin coating from a perfluorohexane and hydrogen plasma on polysulfone and polyhydroxybutyrate membranes to optimize their surface properties without affecting their filtering properties. The plasma deposition of smooth and very hydrophobic fluorocarbon coatings seems to increase the bio- and hemocompatibility of poorly biocompatible membranes. The treated substrates were characterized by measuring the mass variations, surface profilometry and contact angle measurements, as well as scanning electron microscopy and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis.