Bio-inspired surface modification and its application for tissue engineering.

Abstract

Generally, hydrophilic or hydrophobic surface modification has been interested for surface chemistry. Superhydrophobicity, superhydrophilicity, and superwetting were the key issues in surface modification. Many research groups attempted to understand and reveal the physics through liquid penetrating (or suspending on) of complex geometries and structures. These researches were often controlled at the sub-microscopic level. In this thesis, we researched superhydrophilic surface modification by using bio-inspired materials. Also, we applied these modification techniques for tissue engineering. Firstly, we demonstrated a facile method to enhance infiltration and adhesion of cells inside 3-D scaffolds by a bio-inspired, hydroxyapatite formation. 3-D scaffolds fabricated by hydrophobic poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) become hydrophilic after the bio-inspired surface modification, resulting in a seventy-fold increase in pre-osteoblastic cell adhesion inside the 3-D scaffolds. This result is significant progress in 3-D scaffold research. The approach described here can be a general method for controlling hydrophilicity of inner surfaces of 3-D scaffolds fabricated by any hydrophobic polymeric materials. Secondly, implants with effective maintenance of superhydrophilicity have enhanced high bioactivity and osseointegration capability. We believed that the PLP coating could be an effective method for preserving UV functionalized titanium surfaces.