Surface wetting phenomena of plasma polymer-coated sheets of poly(L-lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate)

Water-repellent surfaces were fabricated on blend sheets of poly(L-lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate) with various blending ratios by the successive processing; (1) plasma etching, followed by (2) the hydrophobic plasma polymer coating. Rough morphology was formed effectively on the mosaic structured surface of blend sheets via the oxidative etching, and advanced water repellency was achieved after the thin membrane coating was synthesized with a hydrophobic plasma polymer coating by use of hexamethyldisiloxane or hexamethyldisilazane. High water repellency is expressed through the columnar hair-like structured model, where the air-water surface interaction in the voids is taken into account. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.