AVS 57th International Symposium & Exhibition
    Plasma Science and Technology Monday Sessions
       Session PS2-MoA

Paper PS2-MoA11
Atmospheric-Pressure Microplasma-Jet Modified Polystyrene Surfaces as Substrates for Epithelial Cell Growth

Monday, October 18, 2010, 5:20 pm, Room Galisteo

Session: Atmospheric Plasma Processing and Micro Plasmas
Presenter: J.-S. Oh, The University of Liverpool, UK
Authors: J.-S. Oh, The University of Liverpool, UK
J.W. Bradley, The University of Liverpool, UK
K.G. Doherty, The University of Liverpool, UK
C.M. Sheridan, The University of Liverpool, UK
R.L. Williams, The University of Liverpool, UK
A. Bowfield, The University of Liverpool, UK
P. Unsworth, The University of Liverpool, UK
P. Weightman, The University of Liverpool, UK
Correspondent: Click to Email
Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) have recently been the subject of much interest as an alternative to low-pressure plasma treatment since they are relatively simple to construct, and have the advantages that expensive vacuum equipment and high grade gases are not needed. APPJs have potentially numerous applications such areas such as deposition, surface modification and particularly, in biomedicine, sterilization and wound treatment. Here we focus on developing micro-plasma jet technology based on capillary dielectric barrier (DBD) discharges for the localized surface modification of polystyrene (PS) as a substrate for biomaterial processing. The micro-capillaries have an internal diameter of 280 μm and an outer diameter of 330 μm. The surface modification is spatially investigated by dynamic water contact angle (WCA) measurement with about ~0.2 μL water droplets. The results show that the WCA of untreated PS is 90° reducing to angles between 30° and 20° for exposure times between a few seconds and several minutes. The treated areas have typically radial extensions of several millimeters varying with discharge voltage, excitation frequency, gas flow rate and capillary-substrate distance. The modified surface properties will be discussed in more detail with focus on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements of the surface chemistry and the relationship to epithelial cell culture growth and proliferation.