| AVS 60th International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology | Monday Sessions |
| Session PS+AS+BI+SE-MoM |
| Session: | Atmospheric Plasma Processing: Fundamental and Applications |
| Presenter: | M. Hawker, Colorado State University |
| Authors: | M. Hawker, Colorado State University A. Pegalajar-Jurado, Colorado State University E.R. Fisher, Colorado State University |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Bioresorbable polymers such as poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) have a multitude of potential biomaterial applications such as controlled-release drug delivery and regenerative tissue engineering. Fabricating these polymers into porous, three-dimensional (3D) materials is critical for such biological applications to maximize their surface-to-volume ratio, mimic the extracellular matrix, and increase drug-loading capacity. Three-dimensional porous PCL scaffold materials have been fabricated via the porogen leaching method. These scaffolds can be plasma-treated to improve or modify their surface properties while maintaining the desirable bulk polymer characteristics. For example, plasma polymerization can be used to encapsulate the polymer scaffold, thereby potentially providing a mechanism for controlled release drug delivery. Here, two different fluorocarbon (FC) precursors, octofluoropropane (C3F8) and hexafluoropropylene oxide (HFPO), were used to deposit FC films on PCL scaffolds using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed that high-CF2 content films were deposited on the PCL scaffolds, similar to those previously deposited in our labs on one-dimensional and two-dimensional materials. Cross-sectional XPS data demonstrated that FC film deposition occurred both on the outer scaffold surface and throughout the 3D structure. Scanning electron microscopy data confirmed that FC film deposition yielded conformal rather than blanket coatings as the porous scaffold structure was maintained after plasma treatment. Additional parameter studies suggest that treatment time, substrate location, and precursor gas have significant impact on the nature of the deposited films. This work demonstrates that conformal FC coatings can be deposited on 3D polymeric scaffolds using plasma processing. Results from cell adhesion studies as well as other film deposition systems and alternate bioresorbable scaffold materials will also be presented.