Nanofilms Produced by Magnetron Enhanced Plasma Polymerization from Methane and Oxygen for Coating of Rigid Contact Lenses

Abstract

Although soft contact lenses are more widespread, rigid contact lenses have been around for decades and their materials have been greatly improved, especially in terms of oxygen permeability. Protein adsorption and wettability are, however, complex challenges still faced by both soft and rigid contact lenses (CLs). This study aims at improving these two major attributes by means of a low‐pressure magnetron enhanced 15 kHz plasma polymerization process. The wide parameter range of the process allowed the tailoring of the surface properties and delivered stable, reproducible plasma coatings. The XPS, FT‐IR, WCA, and QCM surface analysis methods were used to study the nanofilms. A contact angle of down to 18° and a protein (lysozyme) adsorption of only 0.2 µg cm −2 were achieved. Some correlations with the more commonly used “PEO‐like” coatings helped to explain the measurement results.