AVS 53rd International Symposium
    Plasma Science and Technology Thursday Sessions
       Session PS1+BI-ThM

Invited Paper PS1+BI-ThM3
Plasma Polymerized Thin Films for Tailored Interaction with Human Blood and Cells

Thursday, November 16, 2006, 8:40 am, Room 2009

Session: Plasmas in Bioscience
Presenter: C. Oehr, Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology, Germany
Correspondent: Click to Email
Plasma Polymerization is used since for more than four decades to develop thin films for different kinds of applications. At least since the seventies of the last century application of these films is mentioned in the fields of medicine and pharmacy. Due to the fact that polymers are used to design low-weight devices and to realize different geometries very easily, the films are mainly deposited onto polymeric substrates. It is a characteristic property of plasma polymerized films to show strong adhesion onto this materials due to the creation of chemical bonding between film and substrate. Such thin layers with good adhesion, a defined amount of chemical functionalities and stability to sterilization processes are generated and fulfill the needs for medical application. The interaction of biological systems with materials can be divided in three subsystems. First, the interaction with bio-molecules. Here the binding of molecules with specific activities on one hand and the minimizing of unspecific protein adsorption on the other hand can be influenced by thin plasma polymers deposited on medical devices. Second, the interaction of bacteria can be modulated via depositing of thin films with bacteriostatic or bacteriocidic properties on devices. Third, the interaction of mammalian cells can also be influenced to enhance the cell growth and proliferation for the development of test kits or implants. In the talk examples of the first and the third category will be given. Beside the preparation of the mentioned films also the analytic tools necessary for film development and control of its properties are stressed in this contribution. A correlation between physico-chemical properties of the applied plasma polymerized films and the biological requirements will be given.