Chitosan- and polypropylene-oriented surface modification using excimer laser and their biocompatibility study

Surface modification of medical polymers is carried out to improve biocompatibility. In this study, conventional polymers (chitosan and polypropylene) were modified to laser at different features (oriented and non-oriented) to create a vast range of physicochemical characteristics on the surface of polymers and investigate their effects on biocompatibility of treated surfaces. Atomic force microscope (AFM) was applied to study the morphology of treated samples in comparison with those of the untreated PS. Contact angle analyses were used to evaluate the wettability and surface energy of the treated films. AFM studies showed that after laser treatment, some distinctive nanostructures are created on the surface of polymers. The data from contact angle measurements demonstrated that laser irradiation created surfaces with a vast range of properties in the wettability point of view. The cellular results revealed that after surface modification by laser irradiation, biocompatibility of polymeric films, especially oriented films was enhanced.