Preparation of Biologically Active Polymer Surfaces by Methods of Surface Treatment

Abstract

This review focuses on the possibility of surface treatment of a sample to increase its bioactivity. For polymeric materials, two methods of how to modify the surface are discussed: excimer laser beam radiation and plasma modification. In the former method, a high absorbance of the polymeric material in wavelengths of the modifying laser light is required to form surface structures, namely, periodic surfaces of various shapes. This morphology in some polymers leads to an increase in the number of cultured cells on the substrate and to the orientation along the surface structures. In the latter method, material ablation may occur when plasma has a sufficient power. Plasma-modified polymer surface exerts a positive effect on the cell adhesion and therefore this method finds its application in, e.g., medicine.