Plasma modified polymers as a support for enzyme immobilization 1. Allyl alcohol plasma

The paper describes deposition of plasma polymerized allyl alcohol on polysulfone film. It is shown that film surface becomes more hydrophilic after plasma treatment independently on presence of argon in a reaction mixture. The chemistry of the new surface layer was established by FTIR-ATR and ESCA spectroscopy. The substrate placed close to the plasma edge was the most hydrophilic but the amount of hydoxyl groups was not the highest there. Presence of argon stabilized the plasma but the deposited layer contained relatively less oxygen-bearing functionalities. The plasma treated polymer was subjected to xylose isomerase immobilization. For this purpose the divinylsulfone method was adapted. The studies revealed no correlation between the surface hydrophilicity and efficiency of immobilization. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.