Novel Antiinfective Biomaterials by Polymer Modification

Abstract

The first significant step in the pathogenesis of polymer-associated infections (foreign-body infections) is the adhesion of bacteria to the synthetic material. The development of an anti-adhesive synthetic material seems to be a promising method to prevent that kind of infection. A possible approach is to modify the polymer surface without affecting the bulk properties (e.g. mechanical stability, elasticity). An elegant and versatile method to achieve this is the glow discharge technique (NT-plasma), where the surface of a synthetic material is exposed to a glow discharge under reduced pressure.