| AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Surface Modification of Materials by Plasmas for Medical Purposes Focus Topic | Thursday Sessions |
| Session SM+AS+BI+PS-ThM |
| Session: | Plasma Processing of Biomaterials |
| Presenter: | Morgan Hawker, Colorado State University |
| Authors: | M.J. Hawker, Colorado State University A. Pegalajar-Jurado, Colorado State University E.R. Fisher, Colorado State University |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Utilizing bioresorbable polymers to fabricate constructs with three-dimensional (3D), porous architectures is desirable as these constructs mimic the extracellular matrix– a critical characteristic for many biomedical applications including tissue engineering, controlled-release drug delivery, and wound healing. Although the bioresorbability and architecture of these materials are suitable for such applications, the surface properties (i.e., chemical functionality and wettability) must often be customized depending on the desired function. Plasma processing is an attractive tool for surface modification of these delicate polymeric materials as it provides a low-temperature, sterile environment with a variety of precursor choices. The presented work will highlight the plasma modification of a variety of 3D, porous polymeric constructs. Specifically, we fabricated scaffolds via electrospinning and porogen leaching techniques using both poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) to develop a repertoire of native polymer constructs with differing bulk properties. We evaluated the efficacy of plasma-modifying 3D constructs using contact angle goniometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy to assess changes in wettability, chemical functionality, and scaffold architecture. The interactions of plasma-modified scaffolds with different biological species, including human dermal fibroblasts and Escherichia coli were explored, specifically to assess scaffold bioreactivity. Notably, we demonstrate that scaffold properties, and thus bioreactivity, can be customized depending on the choice of plasma precursor. We show that plasma treatment using fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon precursors (i.e., octofluoropropane, hexafluoropropylene oxide, and 1,7-octadiene) results in hydrophobic and bio-non reactive scaffolds. Additionally, precursors with nitrogen and oxygen functionality (i.e., allylamine, allyl alcohol, water, and ammonia) can be used to fabricate scaffolds that are hydrophilic and bio-reactive. Altogether, this work illustrates the comprehensive tunability of biologically-relevant polymeric constructs in terms of their bulk properties, surface properties, and cell-surface interactions.