Organic surface chemistry on titanium surfaces via thin film deposition

In order to develop a synthetic strategy for the fine tuning of the interfacial properties of titanium-based implants and implant parts, a thin polymeric film was deposited from ethylene plasma on the surfaces of Ti foils. The intended aim was to further modify the adherent, delamination-resistant organic coating using the techniques of surface modification of polymers to direct interfacial interactions at the metal foil-biological phase interface. In particular, air-plasma treatment and Ce(IV)-induced hydroxyethylmethacrylate grafting, two typical reactions of biomedical polymers surface chemistry, were used to improve cell adhesion or to impart cell resistance to the plasma-coated Ti. Results indicate that a plasma-deposited thin polymeric film effectively can act as a viable substrate for further surface chemical modifications and allow the application of a huge background of surface-modification polymers to metallic devices.