Modification of PLA Scaffold Surface for Medical Applications

Michał Młotek,Agnieszka Gadomska-Gajadhur,Krzysztof Krawczyk,Aleksandra Kruk,Michalina Perron,Aleksandra Sobczak

doi:10.3390/app11041815

Michał Młotek, Agnieszka Gadomska-Gajadhur + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041815

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Journal: Applied Sciences	Publication Date: Feb 18, 2021
Citations: 13	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Warsaw University of Technology

Abstract

Materials used for medical applications (e.g., the cellular scaffold) should have not only the specific chemical composition, but the surface layer properties as well. For this reason, a method which enables an increase in the number of pores, wettability of the surface, and improvement the conditions of nutrient transportation into the membrane is being studied. The plasma of a dielectric barrier discharge was applied for the surface modification of polylactide obtained by dry or wet phase inversion. The plasma-modified surface was analyzed by contact angle measurements with water and diiodomethane. The surface free energy (SFE) was calculated by the Owens–Wendt method. The highest SFE and its polar component (67.6 mJ/m2 and 39.5 mJ/m2, respectively) were received when the process was conducted in an Ar + CO2 gas mixture with a discharge power of 20 W. The purpose of this research was to increase the wettability and porosity of the membrane’s surface. It can be concluded that the dielectric barrier discharge can effectively change the surface of the polylactide membranes, and that the structure of the modified membranes was not damaged during modification. The process of modification was easier for the membranes made by dry phase inversion. These materials had higher SFE values after the modification.

Highlights

The use of a biomaterial which allows cells to grow on it creates the possibility of preparation of adequate tissue in laboratory conditions in the future
Polymeric membrane surfaces are characterized by a small number of poorly connected pores, so it is hard for tissues to penetrate them
The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of the low-temperature plasma of a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) on the changes occurring on the surface and in the inner structure of membranes for medical applications

Summary

Introduction

The use of a biomaterial which allows cells to grow on it creates the possibility of preparation of adequate tissue in laboratory conditions in the future. Polymeric membrane surfaces are characterized by a small number of poorly connected pores, so it is hard for tissues to penetrate them. It makes the transport of nutrients and metabolites difficult [1]. For this reason, a method which allows the increase of the number of pores, wettability of the surface, and improvement of the conditions of nutrient transportation into the membrane is being studied. The main disadvantages of such techniques are the corrosive impact of the used liquids, high consumption of water used during flushing of the modified material, significant environmental contamination with aggressive chemicals, low productivity of the modification processes, and high process costs. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations

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