Surface functionalization by poly-acrylic acid plasma-polymerized films for microarray DNA diagnostics

► Stable and active polyacrylic acid coatings give advantages to DNA microarray diagnostics. ► COOH groups irreversibly bind DNA properly 5′ NH2-modified single strands. ► Plasma polymerization can be applied in novel Point-of-Care or biomedical applications. ► Properties of polyacrylic acid thin films can be tailored by tuning plasma parameters. ► ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and XPS analysis are used to study chemical properties.