Surface modification of polyurethane and silicane rubber for biomedical applications

Summary form only given. In this paper, we report research on the surface modification of biomedical polyurethane with nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, and methane for enhanced blood compatibility. We also report the surface modification of silicane rubber, used to make contact lenses, with ammonia, argon, methane, and oxygen for hydrophilicity and impermeability to proteins, lipids, and other macromolecules. Such treatment does not affect the oxygen permeability of the contact lens. Optical transmission shows only a slight decrease from 90% to 86.4%. Modified surfaces in both applications were characterized using attenuated total reflectance infrared analysis (ATR-IR) and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). Surface morphologies were determined using SEM images. The molecular mechanisms of surface modification were probed using thermally stimulated current (TSC) spectroscopy. Results demonstrate that plasma processes can achieve significant improvement in the clinical application of polymeric materials.