Surface functionalization of biomaterials by plasma and ion beam

Magnesium-based, titanium-based, and polymeric biomaterials have gained increasing attention for potential applications in biomedical implants and gene/drug delivery systems. However, their clinical application is hampered by obstacles such as rapid corrosion, deficient antibacterial capability, and inadequate delivery efficiency. Plasma-based and ion-beam-based techniques can tailor the biomaterials surface to obtain the desirable biological functions. This paper describes our recent work in this area. Cerium, hafnium, neodymium, tantalum, silver, and carbon are incorporated in biomaterials by ion implantation, magnetron sputtering, and plasma immersion ion implantation & deposition. Our recent results show that the metal oxide surface layer provides better anticorrosive and biocompatible properties for Mg-based implants and the diamond-like carbon coating enhances the antibacterial effect of Mg-based alloys. Meanwhile, silver embedding endows titanium with excellent antibacterial ability and the neodymium-integrated polymeric delivery system achieves high efficacy in anticancer therapy. Hence, plasma-based and ion-beam-based techniques provide promising strategies to tailor the surface properties of different types of biomaterials.