Plasma-Assisted Fabrication and Processing of Biomaterials

Abstract

Plasma creates a highly reactive chemical environment that can be used to selectively induce specific biological responses, fabricate materials with a wide range of physico-chemical, mechanical, and biological properties, and modify surfaces in a highly controlled manner. This chapter reviews how plasma is used for sterilization and disease management. It then focuses on the use of plasma environments for surface functionalization and fabrication of carbon-based structures, from soft polymers to amorphous carbons and carbon nanotubes. The chapter also focuses on plasma-enabled processing as a highly versatile tool for selective modification of a wide range of implantable materials, including temperature-sensitive polymeric materials and living tissues. Plasmas that generate higher temperatures can be used to fabricate a broad range of carbon nanomaterials, including ordered carbons e.g., graphene sheets, nanotubes and nanoparticles, carbon quantum dots, and amorphous carbons. Carbon nanomaterials have promising drug delivery, sensing, and bioimaging applications.