Surface coating and treatment by RF-plasma of biomaterials

Our laboratory is well-known worldwide for etching and coating the surfaces of metallic biomaterials with a polymer thin film deposed by polymerization in a plasma reactor for biomedical applications. Focus is on stainless steel, shape memory, titanium and tantalum alloys and medical-grade stainless steel. The objective is to contain the leakage of those elements potentially highly toxic for the human beings, such as nickel, chromium, and others, as well as to insert of the device surface appropriate carriers for targeting drug delivery systems and therefore modulate the biological response. We are also dedicated in creating the surfaces of polymeric biomaterials in a plasma reactor. The objective is to modulate their surface properties, to functionalize their surface and to strongly bind molecules with high potential for hemocompatibility. This research program is carried out in a highly interacting collaborative way with the research team of Gaétan Laroche, Bioengineering and Biotechnology Unit. Finally, we apply this technological and scientific platform to design and develop antibacterial coatings for specific applications, including demotic, living areas in space and hospitals. The projects in this fields are carried out in collaboration with the research team of Prof. Rosei, at INRS as well as industrial leaders in the field and the Canadian Space Agency. Dr Pascale Chevallier and Dr Stephane Turgeon are research associate mainly in this topic.