Chapter 11 - Biomedical applications of ultrathin atomic layer deposited metal oxide films on polymeric materials

Abstract

Abstract The infections related to biomedical instruments are a serious problem in medicine due to negative consequences for the patient. In addition to progress in hygienic measures, there is a growing interest on the deposition of antimicrobial coatings onto instrument surface. Recently, atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ultrathin metal oxide coatings has been investigated for such applications. ALD is a surface reaction limited method of depositing conformal, pinhole-free, uniform thickness ultrathin films onto planar or three-dimensional structures. The development of ultrathin ALD films has blossomed, with researchers demonstrating a wide range of applications from nanotechnology to biomedicine. Nowadays, many research groups have been working on the development of devices based on ALD metal oxide films grown on semiconductor substrates. However, there is still a lack of studies on low-temperature ALD metal oxide films grown on polymeric substrates targeting biomedical applications such as implants and other thermal sensitive devices. Hence this chapter discusses the overall prospects of ultrathin metal oxide films on polymers based on requirements such as material and development perspectives. This work focuses on the key advantages that the use of ultrathin ALD metal oxide films can offer to temperature-sensitive biomedical technologies. In summary, we will provide a brief overview on ultrathin metal oxide films for biomedical outlining potential future opportunities based on three points: low-temperature ALD film process, metal oxide materials used in polymer coating, and biomedical applications.