Chapter 15 - Plasma Modified Polymeric Materials for Biosensors/Biodevice Applications

Abstract

In today’s material moderated world, polymers have extended their application to several new and high technology areas, because of their excellent physico-chemical properties, chemical stability, low density, flexibility, ease of manufacture, and cost-effectiveness. To fulfil the essential requirements as a biomaterial, the surfaces of polymers have to be modified. Apart from other surface modification techniques, the plasma surface modification technique is one of the most effective and economical surface treatments which will provide a pathway for designing novel material, with enhanced physio-chemical properties for emerging technologies. A modified polymer with various functional moieties increases the surface energy and improves the wettability and biocompatibility while retaining the bulk properties of the polymer. Hence, over the past few decades various techniques for plasma surface modification of polymers have been employed in the development of novel materials which are suitable for biosensor and biodevice applications.