title: Influence of non-thermal TiCl4/Ar+O2 plasma-assisted TiOx based coatings on the surface of polypropylene (PP) films for the tailoring of surface properties and cytocompatibility.
abstract: The superior bulk properties (corrosion resistance, high strength to weight ratio, relatively low cost and easy processing) of hydrocarbon based polymers such as polypropylene (PP) have contributed significantly to the development of new biomedical applications such as artificial organs and cell scaffolds. However, low cell affinity is one of the main draw backs for PP due to its poor surface properties. In tissue engineering, physico-chemical surface properties such as hydrophilicity, polar functional groups, surface charge and morphology play a crucial role to enrich the cell proliferation and adhesion. In this present investigation TiOx based biocompatible coatings were developed on the surface of PP films via DC excited glow discharge plasma, using TiCl4/Ar+O2 gas mixture as a precursor. Various TiOx-based coatings are deposited on the surface of PP films as a function of discharge power. The changes in hydrophilicity of the TiOx/PP film surfaces were studied using contact angle analysis and surface energy calculations by Fowke's approximation. X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to investigate the surface chemical composition of TiOx/PP films. The surface morphology of the obtained TiOx/PP films was investigated by scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy (SEM &TEM). Moreover, the surface topography of the material was analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The cytocompatibility of the TiOx/PP films was investigated via in vitro analysis (cell viability, adhesion and cytotoxicity) using NIH3T3 (mouse embryonic fibroblast) cells. Furthermore the antibacterial activities of TiOx/PP films were also evaluated against two distinct bacterial models namely Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) and Gram negative Escherichia coli DH5α. (E.coli) bacteria. XPS results clearly indicate the successful incorporation of TiOx and oxygen containing polar functional groups on the surface of plasma treated PP films. Moreover the surface of modified PP films exhibited nano structured morphology, as confirmed by SEM, TEM and AFM. The physico-chemical changes have improved the hydrophilicity of the PP films. The in-vitro analysis clearly confirms that the TiOx coated PP films performs as good as the standard tissue culture plates and also are unlikely to impact the bacterial cell viability.
authors.affiliation: Surface Engineering Laboratory, Department of Physics, Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, L&T by pass, Chinniyam Palayam (post), Coimbatore 641062, India. Electronic address: dr.knpr@gmail.com.
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Pandiyaraj
authors.affiliation: Surface Engineering Laboratory, Department of Physics, Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, L&T by pass, Chinniyam Palayam (post), Coimbatore 641062, India.
authors.forename: A Arun
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Surface Engineering Laboratory, Department of Physics, Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, L&T by pass, Chinniyam Palayam (post), Coimbatore 641062, India.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ramkumar
authors.affiliation: Nanobiotechnology Laboratory, Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667, India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sachdev
authors.affiliation: Nanobiotechnology Laboratory, Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gopinath
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Plasma Technology (RUPT), Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, Jozef Plateaustraat 22, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cools
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Plasma Technology (RUPT), Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, Jozef Plateaustraat 22, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De Geyter
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Plasma Technology (RUPT), Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, Jozef Plateaustraat 22, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morent
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai 400 019, India.
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Deshmukh
authors.affiliation: William Mason High School, Mason 45040, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hegde
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0012, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanoscale Multifunctional Materials, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Nadagouda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001128:Argon / Q000737:chemistry; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D051379:Mice; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry; D056951:Photoelectron Spectroscopy; D058626:Plasma Gases; D011126:Polypropylenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D013499:Surface Properties; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D058626:Plasma Gases; D011126:Polypropylenes; D001128:Argon; C025096:titanium tetrachloride; D014025:Titanium; D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Cell compatibility; Glow discharge plasma; PP film; Surface analysis; TiOx