Plasma and laser treatment of PMP for biocompatibility improvement

• Plasma treatment significantly enhances the cell biocompatibility.
• Plasma treatment can change the PMP wettability and induce mass loss.
• PMP was proven to be resistant to excimer laser irradiation.
• PMP could be suitable as a potential resistant carrier material.
• Extreme laser conditions for PMP ablation have been found.

This paper is focused on characterization of surface properties of PMP (poly-4-methyl-1-pentene) after the modification of its upper layer. PMP is a thermoplastic polyolefine, which is used e.g. in medicine for its mechanical and thermal stability, for medical and laboratory equipment. Modification was carried out by Ar plasma, KrF excimer laser beam, thermal annealing and their combinations. The changes in physico-chemical properties of surface layer, such as wettability, ablation, morphology, roughness and chemical composition, were determined. Finally, the tests of adhesion and proliferation of cells were carried out on the selected samples. PMP seems a very resistant material, but plasma exposure can affect its surface properties, e.g. wettability or atomic concentrations of elements, which cause improvement of VSMC cells ability to adhere and proliferate. All used methods have just minor effect on morphology. Except under extreme conditions, a KrF excimer laser beam has only insignificant influence on PMP changes. Because of that, PMP could be suitable as a resistant carrier for materials for the further laser modification.