| AVS 55th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Biological, Organic, and Soft Materials Focus Topic | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session BO+PS+AS+BI+SS-TuA |
| Session: | Plasma-deposited Polymer and Organic Surfaces in Biological Applications |
| Presenter: | J.E. Fulghum, University of New Mexico |
| Authors: | J.E. Fulghum, University of New Mexico K. Artyushkova, University of New Mexico A. Lucero, University of New Mexico H.E. Canavan, University of New Mexico |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The primary objective of this work is to investigate the correlate structural properties of a thermoresponsive polymer, poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAM), with its ability to reversibly adhere cells. PNIPAM undergoes a sharp property change in response to a moderate thermal stimulus at physiological temperatures (~32 °C). This behavior has generated great interest in the biomaterials community, and pNIPAM is being investigated as a “smart” release coating to harvest intact cell monolayers. Many techniques are used to deposit pNIPAM, including electron beam irradiation and solution deposition (e.g., silanes and self-assembled monomers). Recently, we constructed a radio frequence (rf) plasma reactor for plasma polymerization of NIPAM (ppNIPAM) from the vapor phase based on a previous design. Plasma polymerization is a sterile, solvent-free, and compatible with surfaces of any geometry or chemistry. These factors make plasma polymerization extremely useful for cell and tissue culture, which often rely on plastic tissue culture plates. Due to the inherently energetic conditions of the plasma, parameters such as maximum rf wattage, location/position of the samples in the chamber, and monomer flow have on the resulting films. In this work, pNIPAM films resulting from those varying conditions are characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for film composition, interferometry for film thickness, contact angles for thermoresponse, and cell detachment for cell releasing properties. Using multivariate analysis, the structural information of the films obtained at various polymerization conditions will be correlated with their thermoresponsive and cell-releasing behavior. In this way, we will predict the conditions that will optimize film composition for bioengineering applications.