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.