Antimicrobial polyethylene with controlled copper release

Good antiinfection properties of medical polymers, especially those used in artificial organs, are crucial to the minimization of microbial attack in nosocomial treatments. However, medical polymers fabricated by conventional methods usually have unstable and short-lived antimicrobial effects because of unsteady out-diffusion of the antibacterial species from the organic matrix. Here, we introduce a dual plasma implantation process to enhance the properties. An inorganic antibacterial element, copper, is introduced into a medical polymer, polyethylene (PE), by means of copper plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) and a subsequent nitrogen PIII process is used to regulate the release of the implanted Cu. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy reveal that a relatively large amount of copper of about 11% is implanted into PE to a depth of several hundred nanometers. Chemical analyses confirm that the implanted Cu does not bond with the polymer matrix. However, the N₂ plasma treatment produces various functional bonds such as C=N, and C≡N which exert appreciable influence on regulating the out-diffusion rate of copper. The large amount of embedded Cu, coupled with controlled release of the element to the surface, gives rise to excellent and long-lasting surface antibacterial properties of the plasma-treated polymer. The capability of controlling the release and storing the antibacterial reagent in a buried layer leads to better antimicrobial polymeric materials for medicine. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.