Surface engineering of biomaterials with plasma techniques.

In this study, 3 types of plasma techniques, i.e. plasma modification, plasma deposition and plasma followed by grafting reaction, are used for the fabrication of tools, medical devices and biomaterials. Depending on purpose, bioadhesion of cells and biomolecules is either looked for or avoided. Since the mechanisms of bioadhesion depend on the characteristics of the surface (hydrophilic or hydrophobic), modifying the surface by a treatment will alter the bioadhesion. These treatments are developed for the anti-fouling process, the sterilisation and the improvement of the formation of biofilms. They have also proved useful for the synthesis of biomimicking devices.