Ion surface treatments on organic materials

A study has been made of surface modification of various organic materials by ion bombardment or implantation to make the surface properties of high and multiple functions in RIKEN. Substrates used were polyimide (PI), polyacetylene, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polystyrene (PS), silicone rubber, various kinds of proteins and so on. Bombarded or implanted ions were inert gas elements, chemically active gaseous elements and metallic elements. Surface properties such as electrical conductivity, wettability and cell adhesion of implanted layers have been investigated. Surface characterization of implanted materials has been carried out by means of transmission electron microscopy, laser Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. In this paper, studies in RIKEN are reviewed of electrical conductivity, optical absorbance, wettability and cell adhesion depending on current densities and doping elements. Applications of ion bombardment to biomedical materials are introduced using cell adhesion control. It is concluded that ion bombardment or implantation is useful to change and control surface properties of various organic materials. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.