Beschreibung:
<jats:sec><jats:label /><jats:p>Plasma polymer films were deposited from hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) in a low‐pressure discharge. The influence of the energetic conditions in the gas phase as well as at the surface on the densification/cross‐linking of the hydrophobic films was studied. The fragmentation of the monomer in the plasma seems to be of similar importance for film densification as the energetic particle interactions at the surface. A map of fragmentation chemical pathways can thus be proposed for HMDSO. The aging and hydration of the HMDSO films were studied and hydration history effects related to the energetic conditions applied in the plasma process were observed. Effective water penetration was possible as evidenced by silver release studies.<jats:inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="graphic/ppap201400118-gra-0001.png" xlink:title="ppap201400118-gra-0001" /></jats:p></jats:sec>