Selective deposition of CaCO3 on chemical gradient surface generated by plasma polymerization and its effect on cell adhesion

Calcic bioceramics have been widely used as substitutes or filling materials in bone grafts. Among them, CaCO3 is also favored due to its good biocompatibility and biodegradability. Herein, combined with chondroitin sulfate, CaCO3 can be selectively deposited on a chemical gradient surface generated by plasma polymerization. The chemical gradient in amino groups resulted in a gradient in deposited calcites number. The cell adhesion and spreading of SaoS-2 cells increased across the gradient surface with the increase of calcites number. These findings provide a controllable way to generate gradient CaCO3 coatings on scaffolds and/or implants used for bone regeneration.