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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 41: Biomaterials and Biopolymers II (joint CPP/BP)

BP 41.2: Talk

Thursday, April 3, 2014, 15:15–15:30, ZEU 222

UV treatment of stretchable polymer foils for bio-applications — •Ruxandra-A. Barb¹, Birte Magnus², Theresia Greunz⁴, David Stifter⁴, Rainer Marksteiner², Siegfried Innerbichler³, and Johannes Heitz¹ — ¹Institute of Applied Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria — ²Innovacell Biotechnologie AG, Innsbruck, Austria — ³Innerbichler GmbH, Breitenbach am Inn, Austria — ⁴CDL-MS-MACH, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria

Polymers are often used as substrates for cell cultivation. Stretchable polymer foils are required in a cell stretcher, which allows to investigate the behavior of cells during uni-axial mechanical strain or compression [1]. However, many stretchable polymers have weak cyto-compatibilty. We demonstrate here that the cyto-compatibility of fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) or polyurethane (PU) can be significantly enhanced by UV photo-modification in a reactive atmosphere by means of a Xe2* excimer lamp emitting at 172 nm. Cells seeded on the treated polymer foils show enhanced cell adhesion and proliferation. Water contact angle and XPS measurements indicate that this is a result of improved wettability and a significant change in surface chemistry. However, tensile tests show that UV induced chain scissions can also lead to a degradation of the mechanical stability. But with suitable irradiation dose and foil thickness, repeatedly stretchable polymer foils with sufficient cell adhesion can be prepared.

[1] A. Gerstmair, G. Fois, S. Innerbichler, P. Dietl, E. Felder, J. Appl. Physiol. 107, 613-620 (2009).