Atmospheric Microplasma Application for Surface Modification of Biomaterials

Atmospheric microplasma has been intensively studied for applications in various fields, since in this technology the generated field is only 1 kV (approx) under atmospheric pressure and a dielectric barrier discharge gap of 10 to 100 mu m. A low discharge voltage atmospheric plasma process is an economical and effective solution for various applications such as indoor air control including sterilization, odor removal, and surface treatment, and would be suitable for medical applications in the field of plasma life sciences. In this paper, we present the application of microplasma for the surface treatment of materials used in medical fields. Moreover, a biomaterial composed of L-lactic acid is used in experiments, which can be biodecomposed in the human body after medical operations. The surface modification process was carried out with active species generated between the microplasma electrodes, which were observed by emission spectrometry. Microplasma treatment of a polymer sheet using Ar as the process gas decreased the contact angle of a water droplet at the surface of the polymer from 78.3 to 45.6 degrees in 10 s, indicating improved surface adhesive characteristics. (C) 2012 The Japan Society of Applied Physics