Jeon Hyun-Jeong, Seo Subin, Jung Ara, Kang Kyeong-Mok, Lee Jeonghoon, Gweon Bomi, Lim Youbong
Plasmapp R&D Center, 9, Giheungdanji-ro 24beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si 17086, Republic of Korea.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sejong University, 209, Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea.
Biomimetics (Basel). 2024 Dec 26;10(1):7. doi: 10.3390/biomimetics10010007.
Numerous studies have investigated the surface treatment of implants using various types of plasma, including atmospheric pressure plasma and vacuum plasma, to remove impurities and increase surface energy, thereby enhancing osseointegration. Most previous studies have focused on generating plasma directly on the implant surface by using the implant as an electrode for plasma discharge. However, plasmas generated under atmospheric and moderate vacuum conditions often have a limited plasma volume, meaning the shape of the electrodes significantly influences the local electric field characteristics, which in turn affects plasma behavior. Consequently, to ensure consistent performance across implants of different sizes and shapes, it is essential to develop a plasma source with discharge characteristics that are unaffected by the treatment target, ensuring uniform exposure. To address this challenge, we developed a novel plasma source, termed "vortex plasma", which generates uniform plasma using a magnetic field within a controlled space. We then compared the surface treatment efficiency of the vortex plasma to that of conventional direct plasma discharge by evaluating hydrophilicity, surface chemistry, and surface morphology. In addition, to assess the biological outcomes, we examined osteoblast cell activity on both the vortex and direct plasma-treated surfaces. Our results demonstrate that vortex plasma improved hydrophilicity, reduced carbon content, and enhanced osteoblast adhesion and activity to a level comparable to direct plasma, all while maintaining the physical surface structure and morphology.
许多研究调查了使用各种类型的等离子体对植入物进行表面处理，包括大气压等离子体和真空等离子体，以去除杂质并增加表面能，从而增强骨整合。以前的大多数研究都集中在通过将植入物用作等离子体放电的电极，直接在植入物表面产生等离子体。然而，在大气和适度真空条件下产生的等离子体通常等离子体体积有限，这意味着电极的形状会显著影响局部电场特性，进而影响等离子体行为。因此，为确保不同尺寸和形状的植入物具有一致的性能，开发一种放电特性不受处理目标影响的等离子体源以确保均匀暴露至关重要。为应对这一挑战，我们开发了一种新型等离子体源，称为“涡旋等离子体”，它在可控空间内利用磁场产生均匀的等离子体。然后，我们通过评估亲水性、表面化学和表面形态，将涡旋等离子体的表面处理效率与传统直接等离子体放电的效率进行了比较。此外，为评估生物学结果，我们检查了成骨细胞在涡旋和直接等离子体处理表面上的活性。我们的结果表明，涡旋等离子体提高了亲水性，降低了碳含量，并增强了成骨细胞的粘附和活性，达到了与直接等离子体相当的水平，同时保持了物理表面结构和形态。
