| AVS 57th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology | Thursday Sessions |
| Session PS2+BI-ThA |
| Session: | Plasmas for Medical and Biological Applications |
| Presenter: | C.D. Easton, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia |
| Authors: | C.D. Easton, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia A. Pegalajar Jurado, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia A. Badri, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia S.L. McArthur, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Plasma polymerisation provides a convenient one step method for creating a functionalised organic surface on virtually any substrate. This technique has attracted considerable attention in recent years for application within the biomedical field as a substrate for cell culture and as a surface functionalisation for polymer grafting and protein immobilisation [1-4]. Detailed stability studies of these coatings in aqueous solutions have focused on water rather than more biological relevant solutions including phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Critically, the interplay between coating stability and protein and polymer adsorption on the coating behaviours have rarely been examined.
Within this study, highly functionalised acrylic acid thin films have been fabricated via RF plasma polymerisation and the stability of these coatings in aqueous environments examined. The chemical and physical stability of these coatings in water and PBS were investigated using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D). The results have shown that the physical behaviour of the coatings changes significantly when they are exposed to water and buffers with differing pH and ionic strength. The significance of these stability observations in an application setting has been explored where the plasma polymerised acrylic acid coating has been used in the assembly of polyelectrolyte layers and biomolecule immobilisation.
References:
[1] K. S. Siow, L. Britcher, S. Kumar, H. J. Griesser, Plasma Process. Polym. 2006, 3, 392.
[2] R. Forch, A. N. Chifen, A. Bousquet, H. L. Khor, M. Jungblut, L. Q. Chu, Z. Zhang, I. Osey-Mensah, E. K. Sinner, W. Knoll, Chem. Vapor Depos. 2007, 13, 280.
[3] H. E. Colley, G. Mishra, A. M. Scutt, S. L. McArthur, Plasma Process. Polym. 2009, 6, 831.
[4] G. J. S. Fowler, G. Mishra, C. D. Easton, S. L. McArthur, Polymer 2009, 50, 5076.