Surface modification of poly-ε-caprolactone electrospun fibrous scaffolds using plasma discharge with sputter deposition of a titanium target

Poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) biodegradable fibrous scaffolds were modified by plasma of magnetron discharge with titanium target sputtering. The influence of the plasma treatment time on the structure and properties of the electrospun scaffolds was investigated. It was shown that increasing the plasma treatment time increases hydrophilicity of scaffolds by increasing the content of titanium and oxygen, as well as increasing the size and number of pores on the fibers surface without changing the mean diameter and volume fraction of the scaffolds. In vitro studies demonstrated that the plasma treatment within the chosen time intervals increases the adhesion of cells to the scaffolds, but at the same time it causes the decline in cell viability when increased to 9 min.