Surface "click" chemistry on brominated plasma polymer thin films.

A brominated plasma polymer (BrPP) thin film was fabricated on a variety of substrate surfaces (silicon wafers, glass, gold, and polymers) via the radio frequency glow discharge of 1-bromopropane. This BrPP thin film was highly adherent and stable and was found to be a useful platform for secondary reactions, leading to surfaces with specific chemical functionalities. Following nucleophilic exchange, an azide-functionalized PP thin film was prepared that was reactive toward two different alkynes via the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction, a paradigm of "click" chemistry. "Click" microcontact printing (microCP) of a fluorescent alkyne was also successfully carried out, demonstrating the versatility and functionality of this new class of reactive thin film plasma polymer coatings.