Oxazolinbasierte plasmabeschichtungen fur fortgeschrittene medizinische technologien

Surface engineering is a high added-valuefield which aims at only changing materials surface structure while preserving valuable bulk properties to achieve improved performance. For example, in case of medical devices, bulk material properties such as strength, durability and toughness have been well developed and optimized over the years, and broadly satisfy the needs in the field. However, the surface properties are often these that determine the fate of the device. Whether it is a catheter, a knee implant, a stent, drug delivery or a diagnostic device, it is the outer surfaces that is in contact with biological fluids and tissue and often determines the device's fate, performance or usefulness. It is the surface of the material that causes inflammation, infection, healing and other relevant physiological processes.