Biomedical properties of nanofabricated fluorinated polyimide surface.

Cell adhesion, proliferation, and their orientation on the surface of fluorinated polyimide, 6FDA-6FAP, which was fabricated by curing treatment and the rubbing method, were investigated using a continuous cell line of human epithelial cells (adherent HeLa). The surface free energy of the fabricated 6FDA-6FAP was analyzed by the contact angle measurement and the topographic change of the surface was observed using atomic force microscopy. These properties were changed drastically by the treatment, and it was found that the adhesion and proliferation of the cells increased with the curing temperature. The noticeable finding was that the cells on the rubbed 6FDA-6FAP surface were modulated and aligned along with the rubbing direction, where nano-ordered grooves were formed, while the cells proliferated randomly on the unrubbed surface without such a nano-ordered structure.