Hydrophilic surface modification of polymers with Poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) and Poly(ethylene glycol) based on Polydopamine

Abstract

There are various methods of hydrophilic surface modification of the polymer. Typical methods for hydrophilic modification are physical methods such as oxygen plasma, UV lamp modification and laser treatment, and chemical methods such as dopamine and peg treatment. In this study, the surface of polypropylene, polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was modified using Polydopamine - based Poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) or Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) treatment, which is one of the chemical surface modulations. It was confirmed that the surface of the polypropylene and PDMS had a contact angle of 40°and 55°. The surface of polycarbonate and polypropylene was confirmed to be more hydrophilic. capillary flow was confirmed by using the surface treated polypropylene. In addition, SEM imaging was used to measure the change of the surface before and after the surface treatment, and the contact angle of each polymer with water was measured for 30 days to confirm the durability of the surface treatment. A surface treated polypropylene structure was fabricated and contacted with a glass capillary tube containing liquid to confirm that the liquid was absorbed into the structure. Through this test, we confirmed the ability of hydrophilic surface treatment using PVP and PDA to hydrophilize various polymers.