| In order to understand and control a biological response to an implant material, one must know the physical and chemical composition of the material at the point of contact with the biological system, namely the material's surface. Therefore, methods that allow one to probe biomaterial surfaces in their native and implanted environments is crucial to controlling biological response and biocompatability.; This thesis is concerned with studying three biomaterial systems and developing methods of analysis to probe biomaterial surfaces. Chapter 1 discusses the issues involved in studying biomaterial surfaces the relationship between surface composition of a material and biological response. Chapter 2 is a study of a surface modification process applied to polystyrene, a common cell culture substrate, as a function of modification conditions, aging, and solvent extraction to determine the permanence of the modification. Chapter 3 develops a method to study the surfaces of hydrogel based polymer materials in their hydrated state using ultra-high vacuum spectroscopies. Chapter 4 presents the results obtained using the method developed in chapter 3 to monitor changes in composition of soft contact lens surfaces as a function of hydrated or dehydrated state. Migration of contaminants and polymer components at the surface as a function of hydration was observed. Chapter 5 illustrates a method that allows for the magnification, analysis and imaging of a biological conditioning film between a metal implant and hard tissue (bone) system. |
