Hydrophilization of poly(ether ether ketone) films by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

Surface-Initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (SI-ATRP) has been exploited to hydrophilize PEEK. The ketone groups on the PEEK surface were reduced to hydroxyl groups which were converted to bromoisobutyrate initiating sites for SI-ATRP. The modification steps were followed by contact angle measurements and XPS. Moreover, ATR FTIR has been used to confirm the formation of initiating groups. Grafting of PEGMA from PEEK was performed in aqueous solution. The presence of the PPEGMA grafts on PEEK was revealed by the thermograms from TGA whereas investigations with AFM rejected changes in the surface topography. Two possible applications arose from the hydrophilization of PEEK, metal deposition and protein repellency. The performed modification allowed for successful electroless deposition and good adhesion of nickel as well as copper.