Plasma surface treatment of biomaterials

Summary form only given. Development of new biomaterials takes a very time before of long certification processes and government approval. Therefore, it is normally more efficient to use existing biomaterials and then selectively enhance the pertinent properties to expedite the acceptance of biomaterials and biomedical implants. This is because the surface of biomaterials plays the major role in determining the effects and interfacing with biological tissues in vivo. Plasma surface modification is very useful and applicable in these cases because selected biomedical and related surface properties such as hydrophilicity and cyto-compatibility can be enhanced while the favorable properties of the bulk materials such as strength and inertness can usually be preserved. In particular, plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIII&D) which combines energetic ion implantation and low-energy plasma deposition is very useful. In this invited talk, recent research activities pertaining to plasma surface modification and engineering of biomaterials performed in the Plasma Laboratory of City University of Hong Kong are presented and discussed. Examples include bone fixation devices, hip joints, automatic scoliosis correction devices, biodegradable metallic and polymeric materials, antimicrobial materials, as well as other biomedical applications.