Modification and characterisation or surfaces and plasma processes for biotechnological applications

我的研究计划目标之一是在大气压下开发基于等离子体的表面修饰策略，以精确控制生物材料的功能化，以进一步连接生物活性分子。这需要使用适当的实验计划和数学模型将等离子体特性与产生的等离子体处理的表面化学相关联。我的研究计划的另一个目标是通过在生物材料表面装饰纳米和微米几何线索来模拟细胞外基质，这些线索包含促进细胞黏附、迁移和分化的生物活性分子。我的研究计划的第一个目标将集中在介电阻挡放电(DBD)大气压等离子体中功能化或涂层聚合物的等离子体特性和表面化学之间的关联。在本研究计划中，将同时记录FTIR发射光谱和吸收光谱，以表征大气等离子体中的气体前体不仅被消耗，而且还被转化为其他化学物种。关于新形成物种的性质和浓度的定量信息(通过吸收光谱获得)和能量参数I(通过发射光谱获得)将与经等离子体处理的材料表面的物理化学性质相关联，使用多元分析。我的研究计划的第二个目标是通过用纳米和微米几何线索来装饰生物材料表面的细胞外基质，这些线索包含促进细胞黏附、迁移和分化的生物活性分子。为了进一步了解生物活性线索的几何形状和大小以及驱动细胞分化的因素，我们将在纳米和微米尺度上设计具有细胞黏附、细胞迁移和细胞分化分子的三功能生物材料图案化表面。要做到这一点，我们将首先使用电子束纳米光刻技术将表面的纳米区域与上述三种类型的多肽中的一种结合。此后，这种纳米粒子表面将被用于更经典的微影刻，以在图案化的微区上图案化另外两种类型的生物活性分子。最终，得到的表面将包括一个三官能化表面，通过将纳米和微米尺度的几何组织的生物线索暴露在细胞环境中，在某种程度上模仿细胞外基质。这些表面将被研究它们促进人类间充质干细胞分化的潜力。

One of my research program objectives is to develop plasma- based surface modification strategies at atmospheric pressure to precisely control the functionalization of biomaterials for further conjugation of bioactive molecules. This requires correlating the plasma characteristics with the resulting plasma -treated surface chemistry using appropriate experimental planning and mathematical modelling. Another objective of my research program is to mimic the extracellular matrix on the surface of biomaterials by decorating it with both nanometric and micrometric geometrical cues containing bioactive molecules that promote cell adhesion, migration, and differentiation. The first objective of my research program will center on correlating plasma characteristics and surface chemistry of functionalized or coated polymers in dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) atmospheric pressure plasmas. In the course of the present research program, FTIR emission and absorption spectra will be simultaneously recorded to characterize atmospheric plasmas in which gaseous precursors are not only consumed, but also converted into other chemical species. The quantitative information about the nature and concentration of the newly formed species (obtained through absorption spectroscopy) and energetic parameters  (obtained by emission spectroscopy) will be correlated with the plasma--treated material surface physicochemical properties using multivariate analysis. The second objective of my research program will be to mimic the extracellular matrix on the surface of biomaterials by decorating it with both nanometric and micrometric geometrical cues containing bioactive molecules that promote cell adhesion, migration, and differentiation. To further our understanding of the geometry and sizes of bioactive cues and that drive cell differentiation, we will engineer trifunctional biomaterials patterned surfaces with cell adhesion, cell migration, and cell differentiation molecules at both the nano and micro scales. To do that, we will first use electron beam nanolithography to conjugate nano areas of the surface with one of the three aforementioned types of peptides. Thereafter, this nanopatterned surface will be used for more classical microlithography, to pattern the two other types of bioactive molecules on patterned micro areas . At the end, the resulting surface will consist in a trifunctionalized surface which somewhat mimics the extracellular matrix by exposing geometrically organized biological cues at both the nano and micro scales to the cellular environment. These surfaces will be investigated as to their potential to promote human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation.