Novel Thin Film Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering

自20世纪60年代以来，通过使用“冷”(热力学非平衡)低压(LP)等离子体沉积薄膜和蚀刻技术在信息技术中取得了突出的地位。这两种工艺和第三种聚合物表面改性现在也被用于许多其他行业。最近，在实现大气压(AP)冷等离子体方面取得了很大进展，主要是介质阻挡放电(DBD)，用于这三种工艺类别。除了直接使用LP和AP等离子体外，还可以通过真空-紫外线(VUV，波长=200 nm)光化学来实现这类过程，因为商用(基于等离子体的)VUV源可以有效地将电能转换为短波长光子。与(LP-和AP-)等离子体相比，(单能)光化学的一个潜在优势是前者可能导致更有针对性的反应，所需产品的产率更高。多年来，在申请人的实验室进行的上述所有类型(LP、AP、VUV)的研究已经产生了400多篇被引用的出版物，24项专利，并向行业转移了大量技术。他提出了创新研究，重点是新型AP等离子体技术和在合适的衬底上沉积用于生物技术(例如组织工程)应用的有机薄膜。这类涂层必须具有丰富的某些类型的化学功能，例如伯胺(-NH2)、羧酸(Coor)、羟基(-OH)或硫醇(-SH)基团，它们必须与各种基材牢固结合，必须耐大气中的“老化”和在水(细胞培养)介质中的溶解，以及其他标准。最后，当然，他们必须首先从正在培养的细胞类型(S)中引发所需的生物反应。后一方面要求与细胞、生物和医学领域的专家密切合作，这些领域在任何特定的分项目中都有涉及。在过去的十年里，申请者的实验室建立了合作网络，主要是与麦吉尔大学和蒙特利尔大学医学院的资深研究人员合作。 最近，NSERC特别将“血浆应用”列入具有特别高社会经济影响潜力的跨学科材料研究领域；血浆医学(PM)显然可以使加拿大人的医疗保健受益，就像它在欧洲已经做到的那样。

Deposition of thin films and etching via the use of “cold” (thermodynamically non-equilibrium) low-pressure (LP) plasmas achieved prominence in information technology since the 1960s. Those two processes and a third, surface modification of polymers, are now also being used in many other industries. Recently, there has been much progress in implementing atmospheric-pressure (AP) cold plasmas, mostly the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) variety, for those three process categories. Beside direct use of LP and AP plasmas, it is also possible to carry out such processes by vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV, lambda = 200 nm) photo-chemistry, since commercial (plasma-based) VUV sources can efficiently convert electrical energy into short-wavelength photons. A potential advantage of (mono-energetic) photo- chemistry over (LP- and AP-) plasma is that the former may result in more targeted reactions, with higher yields of the desired products. Research in the applicant’s laboratory of all types (LP, AP, VUV) above has over the years resulted in well over 400 refereed publications, in two dozen patents, and in much technology transfer to industry. He proposes innovative research focused on novel AP plasma techniques and on thin organic films deposited on suitable substrates for use in bio-technological (e.g. tissue engineering) applications. Such coatings must be rich in certain types of chemical functionalities, for example in primary amines (-NH2), carboxylic (COOR), hydroxyl (-OH), or thiol (-SH) groups, they must adhere strongly to various substrate materials, must resist “aging” in atmosphere and dissolution in aqueous (cell-culture) media, among other criteria. Finally, of course, they must first and foremost elicit the desired bio-response from the cell-type(s) being cultured. This latter aspect calls for close collaboration with specialists in the cell-biological and medical sciences that are being addressed in any given sub-project. During the past decade, the applicant’s laboratory has developed networks of collaborations, mostly with senior researchers in the medical faculty of McGill and Montreal universities. In the recent past NSERC specifically included “Plasma Applications” among areas of Interdisciplinary Materials Research that possess particularly high potential for socioeconomic impact; Plasma Medicine (PM) clearly can benefit healthcare for Canadians, as it already has in Europe.