Abstract

Various studies show that employment of nitrogen coatings on certain biomaterials can noticeably increase the degree of biocompatibility (particularly for vascular repair) [1]. Chemical and laser ablation surface modification techniques are used for introduction or enrichment of nitrogen. However alteration of bulk material is reported which is undesirable for biomedical engineering applications. Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) radiation with low penetration depth (less than 100 nm) can be successfully utilized to avoid bulk properties alteration. In this study Polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) and Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were treated by EUV radiation in the presence of ionized nitrogen. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements demonstrate a notable amount of nitrogen on treated polymer surfaces.