Characterization of Solution-Cast Extracts from Biomer® by FT-IR and ESCA

Abstract

Biomer® extracts have been cast from varying polarity solvents in an attempt to control surface composition and morphology. This polymer has previously been described as a block copolymer. FT-IR has been utilized to probe bulk and surface bonding and composition in these resulting extract cast films. FT-IR data was combined with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements to provide a detailed description of the surface composition. Results will show that a polydimethysiloxane contaminant in Biomer® can be preferentially segregated to the surface as a function of the Hildebrand parameter of the solvent that Biomer® extracts are cast from. Extracts of Biomer ® as solution-cast from varying polarity solvents had many different components. This suggests that Biomer® resembles a blend of copolymerized segments with different compositions and molecular weights, with a significant number of impurities including DMS.