American Hospital Supply Corporation

Robert A Janssen

Kenneth G Mayhan

William J Bertrand

Roger F Drake

A process for modifying the surface of a preformed polymeric substrate to impart lubricity and other desired properties thereto, without at the same time significantly altering the bulk properties of the substrate, by epoxidizing the substrate's surface and reacting the epoxide groups so formed with a fluorocarbon capable of cleaving the epoxide rings and covalently bonding thereto. The article so formed is also disclosed.

Fluorocarbon grafting of polymeric substrates

A process for modifying the surface characteristics of a pre-formed polymeric substrate to impart hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity, or other desired properties thereto, by peroxidizing the surface of the substrate and then allowing the active sites along the polymer chains to generate free radicals which induce graft polymerization of a suitable ethylenic monomer (or other ethylenically-unsaturated compound) onto the surface of the substrate is described. Such graft copolymerization is undertaken in the presence of variable valence metal ions in a reduced state under acidic conditions and at selected reaction times and relatively low temperatures, and ideally in the presence of squarate ions (diketocyclobutenediol) to control the physical characteristics of the surface graft and to restore the metal ions to their lower valence state without at the same time producing deleterious by-products.

Process for graft copolymerization of a pre-formed substrate

A process for modifying the surface characteristics of a pre-formed polymeric substrate to impart hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity, or other desired properties thereto, by peroxidizing the surface of the substrate and then allowing the active sites along the polymer chains to generate free radicals which induce graft polymerization of a suitable ethylenic monomer (or other ethylenically-unsaturated compound) onto the surface of the substrate is described. Such graft copolymerization is undertaken in the presence of variable valence metal ions in a reduced state under acidic conditions and at selected reaction times and relatively low temperatures, and in the presence of squarate ions (diketocyclobutenediol) to control the physical characteristics of the surface graft and to restore the metal ions to their lower valence state without at the same time producing deleterious by-products.

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Eden Prairie, MN, United States of America

Robert A Janssen