Soft Plasma Treated Surfaces: Tailoring of Structure and Properties for Biomaterial Applications

Abstract

Summary: This paper aims to discuss and review developments in plasma surface modification techniques which have been seen over the past few years, with particular emphasis on low energy or soft plasma assisted surface polymerisation processes. While early work focussed mainly on protective coatings and surface activation, the advancements in microtechnology in the 1980s followed by those in nanotechnology in the 1990s and 2000s have resulted in new challenges for surface processing and surface modification processes. The latest advancements in plasma polymer chemistry have shown tremendous potential for the synthesis of reasonably well defined molecular structures with a high retention of functional groups. Some of the latest achievements and newest insights into the behaviour of such deposits in a liquid environment will be discussed, with a particular focus on bio‐nanotechnological applications. Utilising novel approaches in surface and interface analysis, it will be shown that plasma polymers can be tailored to have considerable elasticity with reversible swelling characteristics, offering a three‐dimensional interface for biomolecular immobilisation procedures in a liquid environment.

Considering the degradation effects of amino-functional plasma polymer coatings for biomedical application

“…Plasma polymer films with nitrogen-functional groups (a-C:H:N) are also frequently used for biomedical applications [2,3,9,10]. Degradation effects such as oxidation and leaching of low molecular weight fragments that are known to occur for amino-functional plasma polymers, however, require special handling [9,[11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

“…Degradation effects such as oxidation and leaching of low molecular weight fragments that are known to occur for amino-functional plasma polymers, however, require special handling [9,[11][12][13][14][15][16]. Prior to cell attachment a-C:H:N-coated samples are therefore stored in air for several weeks, thermally treated (in vacuum) and/or washed with solvents, while the media is frequently exchanged during cell growth [17][18][19].…”

Synthesis, copolymer composition, and rheological behavior of functionalized polystyrene with isocyanate and amine side groups

“…[22][23][24][25] FPs, especially, with amine group have been widely investigated recently because of their great reactivity and potential uses in such applications as adhesion, surface science, compatibilizer of polymer blends and so forth. [26][27][28][29] As reported in the literature, amine endgroup polymers have been obtained by conventional radical polymerization, atom transfer radical polymerization, [30][31][32][33] anionic polymerization, [34][35][36][37] and reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. [38,39] Postma et al [40] have successfully synthesized the end-functional polymers by RAFT polymerization.…”

On the Application of Gas Discharge Plasmas for the Immobilization of Bioactive Molecules for Biomedical and Bioengineering Applications

“…The polymer deposition process based on pulsed low pressure micro wave discharge plasmas has some advantages over radio frequency excitation (Hamerli et al, 2003). Allylamine is a wellsuited molecular precursor for film deposition since it gives good retention of amino groups (Finke et al, 2006;Förch et al, 2005;Tang et al, 1998;Kühn et al, 2001). Films were characterized by advanced surface analytical techniques, such as high resolution scanning XPS, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR), water contact angle measurements and zeta-potential measurements.…”