Abstract
Abstract Thin films poly(L-lactic acid, quasi-PLLA) were successfully synthesized for the first time using a rf plasma polymerization method. The vapor of L-lacitic acid monomers was pumped into a rf plasma chamber generated in Ar gas where the monomers polymerized and deposited a thin film on a glass substrate placed between a pair of parallel plate electrodes. The plasma thin film was analyzed using an atomic force microscope (AFM), FTIR and Auger-Esca. Initial Auger-Esca data confirmed that the film obtained from plasma polymerization is a quasi-PLLA thin film. Like the conventional PLLA prepared by esterification method, the plasma film showed the characteristic absorption peak of PLLA around 1700cm-1. Further, the ESCA and FTIR spectra of the plasma films demonstrated the chemical shifts of the characteristic peaks towards the lower frequencies, an effect attributed to the cross-linking chain structure in the plasma films. Using a microscopic indentation method, it was found that the plasma film demonstrated a 7 times increase of hardness compared to that of the convention PLLA films. The effect of polymerization temperature on the film topography of the plasma films was observed. Further experiments were currently undergoing.