Functionalization of Polymer Sensor Surfaces by Oxygen Plasma Treatment

Methods for the functionalization of polymer biosensor surfaces are applied for the binding of receptors and the sensing of biological particles. In many cases the same biosensor polymer has to perform transduction mechanisms as in the case of optical waveguides. The effects of the functionalization process on the sensor transduction properties like absorption and surface roughness loss should be minimal. In this work we investigate the formation of functional groups by oxygen plasma treatment as a method of precise surface modification for PMMA and SU-8 waveguide materials. Oxygen groups were analyzed by contact angle measurements, XPS, chemical derivatization XPS and fluorescence labeling.