Photoinitiator‐Free Plasma‐Induced Polymerization and Microstructuring of Acrylate‐Based Coatings on 3D Substrates

The process of plasma curing of functional acrylates has been studied. For these purposes, a nitrogen plasma generated by a flat and a cylindrical electrode configuration, respectively, was used to provide both planar and 3D curing conditions. In selected cases, a double bond conversion >95% was observed by ATR‐IR spectroscopy for a 15 µm (wet thickness) acrylate coating even without the addition of any photoinitiator. Compared to UV curing, the surface energy of the cured substrates was significantly higher when plasma curing was applied (>70 mN · m−1); however, the hydrophilic surfaces experienced hydrophobic recovery. Finally, the generation of microstructures on uniaxially oriented substrates during the plasma process was studied and conditions for their tailor‐made creation are suggested. The process of plasma curing of polyfunctional acrylate coatings has been studied with respect to double bond conversion and surface energy under planar and 3D‐curing conditions. Moreover, the generation of random and regular microstructures has been investigated.