title: Study of the adhesive properties versus stability/aging of hernia repair meshes after deposition of RF activated plasma polymerized acrylic acid coating.
abstract: In order to confer adhesive properties to commercial polypropylene (PP) meshes, a surface plasma-induced deposition of poly-(acrylic acid) (PPAA) is performed. Once biomaterials were functionalized, different post-deposition treatments (i.e. water washing and/or thermal treatments) were investigated with the aim of monitoring the coating degradation (and therefore the loss of adhesion) after 3months of aging in both humid/oxidant (air) and inert (nitrogen) atmospheres. A wide physicochemical characterization was carried out in order to evaluate the functionalization effectiveness and the adhesive coating homogeneity by means of static water drop shape analysis and several spectroscopies (namely, FTIR, UV-Visible and X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy). The modification of the adhesion properties after post-deposition treatments as well as aging under different storage atmospheres were investigated by means of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) used in Force/Distance (F/D) mode. This technique confirms itself as a powerful tool for unveiling the surface adhesion capacity as well as the homogeneity of the functional coatings along the fibers. Results obtained evidenced that post-deposition treatments are mandatory in order to remove all oligomers produced during the plasma-treatment, whereas aging tests evidenced that these devices can be simply stored in presence of air for at least three months without a meaningful degradation of the original properties.
authors.affiliation: Politecnico di Torino, Department of Applied Science and Technology, C.so Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rivolo
authors.affiliation: University of Torino, Department of Chemistry and NIS Centre, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125 Torino, Italy. Electronic address: roberto.nistico@unito.it.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nisticò
authors.affiliation: University of Torino, Department of Chemistry and NIS Centre, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barone
authors.affiliation: CNR-IMAMOTER, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Giulia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Faga
authors.affiliation: CNR-IMAMOTER, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Duraccio
authors.affiliation: Herniamesh S.r.l., Via F.lli Meliga 1/C, 10034 Chivasso, Italy.
authors.forename: Selanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martorana
authors.affiliation: Politecnico di Torino, Department of Applied Science and Technology, C.so Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ricciardi
authors.affiliation: University of Torino, Department of Chemistry and NIS Centre, Via P. Giuria 7, 10125 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Magnacca
mesh_terms: D000179:Acrylates / Q000737:chemistry*; D000269:Adhesives / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D056951:Photoelectron Spectroscopy; D058626:Plasma Gases / Q000737:chemistry*; D058105:Polymerization; D011126:Polypropylenes / Q000737:chemistry; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D000179:Acrylates; D000269:Adhesives; D058626:Plasma Gases; D011126:Polypropylenes; C036658:acrylic acid
keywords: AFM force/distance mode; Adhesive thin coatings; Hernia-repair PP meshes; Plasma polymerization; Surface science