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Plasma Surface Modification of Biodegradable Polymers: A Review
Author(s) -
Morent Rino,
De Geyter Nathalie,
Desmet Tim,
Dubruel Peter,
Leys Christophe
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
plasma processes and polymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1612-8869
pISSN - 1612-8850
DOI - 10.1002/ppap.201000153
Subject(s) - surface modification , biodegradable polymer , materials science , polymer , nanotechnology , tissue engineering , porosity , scaffold , chemical engineering , biomedical engineering , composite material , engineering
Besides their use as packaging materials, biodegradable polymers can play a major role in tissue engineering as three‐dimensional porous structures (scaffolds). The success of these biodegradable scaffolds is, however, determined by the response it elicits from the surrounding biological environment and this response is governed, to a large extent, by the surface characteristics of the scaffold. Multiple approaches have been developed to obtain the desired surface properties, however, in the past decade, the use of non‐thermal plasmas for selective surface modification has been a rapidly growing research field. This paper therefore presents a critical overview on recent advances in plasma‐assisted surface modification of biodegradable polymers.