Plasma immersion ion implantation of a two-phase blend of polysulfone and polyvinylpyrrolidone

• The effect of plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) on structure and properties of polymer blend was investigated.
• PIII treatment improves compatibility between two polymers in the modified layer.
• PIII treatment improves wettability and chemical resistance of polymer blends.
• Synergistic effect in cross-linking and oxidation of PIII treated polymer blend was observed.
• PIII treatment provides a simple method of production of micro-patterned structures.

The blend of polysulfone (PSU) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is widely used in a production of ultrafiltration membranes and hollow fiber membranes for hemodialysis and tissue engineering. Here we study the effect of plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) treatment on a two-phase polymer blend. It was found that PIII treatment improves the compatibility between PSU and PVP in the blend in the modified surface layer and results in an increase of wettability and chemical resistance. A synergistic effect in cross-linking and oxidation of PIII treated PSU/PVP blend was observed. The morphology of dichloromethane washed PIII treated films depends on the ion fluence used in the treatment. The wavelength of the periodic wrinkles increases and their amplitude decreases with increasing PIII treatment time.

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