Application of Radiation Technology in Development of Some Polymeric Materials for Industrial Purposes

Abstract

In order to enhance cytocompatibility and biological functionality of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) surface for tissue engineering applications, D-glucosamine (GlcN) was immobilized on the surface through poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) spacer arms prepared by plasma post-irradiation grafting technique. Plasma parameters and grafting conditions were controlled to produce PLA surface suitable for biomolecule immobilization and function. GlcN molecules were immobilized onto PLA surfaces having different grafting yields by both covalent attachment and physical adsorption. The modified surfaces were characterized by ATR-FTIR, XPS, contact angle measurements, surface energy and AFM. Also, Cytocompatibility of modified surfaces were assessed using a mouse embryonic fibroblast cell line. The obtained results can be summarized as follows: 1. The effect of plasma parameters (exposure time, power and air feed rate) on the grafting yield was investigated. The grafting yield increased with the time of treatment until reaches a maximum at about 80s then it decreased with longer treatments. Increasing plasma power (from 30 to 100 W) and air feed rate from (from 20 to 40 sccm) were found to enhance the grafting yield.