Abstract
Functional coatings are commonly applied to biomaterials in order to improve their properties. In this work, polyethylene was coated with a silicon nitride (Si3N4) powder using a pulsed laser source in a nitrogen gas atmosphere. Several analytical techniques were used to characterize the functionalized surface of the polymer, including Raman spectroscopy, laser microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Antibacterial properties were tested in vitro against Staphylococcus epidermidis. The Si3N4 coating sensibly reduced the amount of living bacteria when compared to the uncoated polymer. Osteoconductivity was also tested in vitro using SaOS-2 osteosarcoma cells. The presence of Si3N4 coating resulted in an increased amount of hydroxyapatite. Coating of polyethylene with silicon nitride may lead to improved performance of indwelling orthopaedic or less invasive medical devices.
Highlights
Over the last three decades, polymeric materials have been extensively developed and used for a broad range of biomedical applications, from packaging and single-use invasive devices to implantable prostheses
Si3 N4 particles embedded in the PE surface and the irregular re-melting of the polymer
The surface of the untreated polyethylene (Figure 2a) appeared relatively smooth at low magnification, but revealed a lamellar structure with an average thickness of 3.5 ± 0.6 μm when observed under higher resolution
Summary
Over the last three decades, polymeric materials have been extensively developed and used for a broad range of biomedical applications, from packaging and single-use invasive devices (e.g., catheters) to implantable prostheses (e.g., acetabular liners). Only a limited number of these materials are considered to be biocompatible [1]. These include: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), polyamides (PA), polymethylmethalacrylate (PMMA), polyacetal (PA), polycarbonate (PC), poly(-ethylene terephthalate). Their biocompatibility is believed to be solely due to their bioinert nature. The most used materials belong to a family of low-cost technical.
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