Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
V
1
Spraying voltage
Glass capillary
Conductive wire
Protein solution
Guard ring
V
2
Guard voltage
Positive charge
Mask and collimating
electrode
Negative charge
Teflon sheet
Copper film
Dielectric mask
Substrate
V
3
Collimating voltage
Protein deposition
FIGURE 11.31
A schematic diagram of the electrospraying setup for fabricating protein fi lms. (Reprinted
from Lee, B. et al.,
Biomaterials
, 24, 2045, 2003. © Elsevier Science. With permission.)
fi lms or coatings are deposited on the surface of implants. For example, genetically engineered pro-
tein coatings were intended to improve the performance of implantable neural prosthetic devices.
Buchko et al. [80] prepared native biopolymer coatings on the silicon substrate using electrospraying
in terms of the processing parameters and the microstructure of coatings. The solution was prepared
by dissolving the protein silk-like polymer with fi bronectin functionality (SLPF) in formic acid. In
the study, the protein coatings deposited on the silicon substrate with varied topography were used
as models for providing a means for the quantitative exploration of the topography effects on the
performance of the neural prosthetic devices and biocompatibility. The SLPF coatings were made
from biosynthesized polypeptides designed to contain the structural stability of natural silk and the
biofunctional properties of proteins native to the body. The image of porous SLPF fi lm is shown in
Figure 11.32.
