Surface modification of poly(l-lactide) and polycaprolactone bioresorbable polymers using RF plasma discharge with sputter deposition of a hydroxyapatite target

• A method for surface modification of the biodegradable polymer materials with the RFMS of hydroxyapatite target is proposed.
• It is shown that the polymer surface increases its roughness and free surface energy in the result of exposure to RF modification.
• It is shown that the polymer surface modification promotes adhesion of cell line EA-hy 926.

Surface modification of poly(l lactide) (l-PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) bioresorbable polymers by radio-frequency thermal glow discharge plasma is reported. Improved biocompatibility of l-PLA and PCL materials was obtained by employing hydroxyapatite target sputtering in Ar+ plasma as evidenced by the change of l-PLA and PCL properties from highly hydrophobic to hydrophilic, with absolute wettability obtained for both materials, and enhanced cell line EA-hy 926 attachment to modified surfaces. Surface roughness and surface free energy were found to increase significantly for both polymers under prolonged plasma exposure and, a longer chain aliphatic PCL were found to display a marginally better post plasma-treated biocompatibility compared to l-PLA.