Sterilization

• Plasma sterilization treatment is gaining growing acceptance for disinfecting and sterilizing medical devices
• Plasma treatment offers the potential for simultaneous cleaning and sterilization of medical instruments
• Plasma sterilization is particularly appropriate for medical or dental implants and devices that are sensitive to the high temperature, chemical or irradiative environments associated with autoclaving, EtO or gamma sterilization, respectively

Adhesion Promotion

• Many biomaterials have a low to medium surface energy, making it difficult to effectively apply adhesives or coatings
• Plasma surface activation leads to the formation of surface functional groups that increase surface energy and improve interfacial adhesion for biomaterial bonding

Wetting Properties

• Most untreated biomaterials have poor wettability (hydrophilicity)
• Plasma surface treatment has been used to enhance or decrease the wetting characteristics on a wide variety of biomaterials
• Surfaces may be rendered hydrophilic through plasma activation, and may be rendered hydrophobic through plasma deposition of thin films

Low-Friction & Barrier Coatings

• Some silicones and polymers such as polyurethanes have a typically high coefficient of friction against other surfaces
• Plasma coating deposition of a lower coefficient of friction polymer coating yields a more lubricious surface for biomaterials applications
• Plasma coating deposition can also be used to form thin, dense barrier coatings that decrease permeability to liquids or vapors for biomaterials applications

Biocompatibility

• Biomaterials that come in contact with blood or protein require special surface treatments to enhance biocompatibility
• Plasma activation of biomaterial surfaces prepares them for cell growth or protein bonding; additionally, biomaterial surfaces may also be modified to decrease the bonding of proteins
• Biomaterials with modified surfaces exhibit improved "biocompatibility", including enhanced cell adhesion, improved cell culture surfaces, non-fouling surfaces and promotion of selective protein adsorption