ORCID Profile
0000-0003-3363-2664
Current Organisation
University of Sydney
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2020
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 06-2018
DOI: 10.1063/1.5010346
Abstract: Slow appositional growth of bone in vivo is a major problem associated with polyether ether ketone (PEEK) based orthopaedic implants. Early stage promotion of osteoblast activity, particularly bone nodule formation, would help to improve contact between PEEK implantable materials and the surrounding bone tissue. To improve interactions with bone cells, we explored here the use of plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) treatment of PEEK to covalently immobilize biomolecules to the surface. In this study, a single step process was used to covalently immobilize tropoelastin on the surface of PIII modified PEEK through reactions with radicals generated by the treatment. Improved bioactivity was observed using the human osteoblast-like cell line, SAOS-2. Cells on surfaces that were PIII-treated or tropoelastin-coated exhibited improved attachment, spreading, proliferation, and bone nodule formation compared to cells on untreated s les. Surfaces that were both PIII-treated and tropoelastin-coated triggered the most favorable osteoblast-like responses. Surface treatment or tropoelastin coating did not alter alkaline phosphatase gene expression and activity of bound cells but did influence the expression of other bone markers including osteocalcin, osteonectin, and collagen I. We conclude that the surface modification of PEEK improves osteoblast interactions, particularly with respect to bone apposition, and enhances the orthopedic utility of PEEK.
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 04-04-2023
DOI: 10.1063/5.0130829
Abstract: Surface biofunctionalization aims to create cell-instructive surfaces that control the behavior of cells and modulate cellular interactions by incorporating cell signaling moieties at the materials–biosystem interface. Despite advances in developing bioinert and biocompatible materials, blood clotting, inflammation, and cell death continue to be observed upon the contact of foreign materials with living tissues leading to the materials' rejection. Specific ex les include the application of foreign materials in implantable devices (e.g., bone implants, antimicrobial surfaces, and cardiovascular stents), biosensors, drug delivery, and 3D-bioprinting. Biofunctionalization of materials to date has been predominantly realized using wet chemical approaches. However, the complexity of wet chemistry, toxicity of reactants, waste disposal issues, reaction time, poor reproducibility, and scalability drive a need for a paradigm shift from wet chemical approaches to dry methods of surface biofunctionalization. Plasma-based technologies that enable covalent surface immobilization of biomolecules have emerged as dry, reagent-free, and single-step alternatives for surface biofunctionalization. This review commences by highlighting the need for bioinstructive surfaces and coatings for various biomedical applications such as bone implants, antimicrobial surfaces, biosensors, and 3D-bioprinted structures, followed by a brief review of wet chemical approaches for developing biofunctionalized surfaces and biomimetic devices. We then provide a comprehensive review of the development of plasma-based technologies for biofunctionalization, highlighting the plasma–surface interactions and underpinning mechanisms of biomolecule immobilization.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 29-03-2019
Abstract: The growing applications of electrochromic (EC) devices have generated great interest in bifunctional materials that can serve as both transparent conductive (TC) and EC coatings. WO
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 12-06-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-02-2022
Abstract: The performance of polymer surface treatment using plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) depends on many operating parameters, such as treatment duration, radiofrequency power, pulsed bias voltage and pulse repetition rate, and the ion fluence applied on the polymer surface. Currently, the identification of optimal operating parameters to achieve specific performance targets is heavily based on trail and error with extensive experimental testing. Herein, we present an optimisation method based on sensitivity analysis using polynomial chaos expansion and experimental design with Kriging surrogate model to greatly reduce the amount of experiments. The combined effects of PIII operating parameters on low‐density polyethylene surface modifications are investigated, demonstrating the validation and effectiveness of the method and design. The new approach offers highly accurate and computationally efficient way for achieving optimum radical density, wettability and optical transmittance that are important for biomedical applications.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-05-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S42005-019-0153-5
Abstract: Plasma polymerized nanoparticles (PPN) formed in plasma reactors have been considered undesirable in technological applications. More recently however, PPN were proposed as a new class of multifunctional nanocarriers for drug delivery. Therefore, synthesis of PPN requires cost-effective collection strategies that maximize yield and improve reproducibility. This work shows that the collection of PPN in dusty plasmas is modulated by modifying the geometry of substrates from planar to well-shaped collectors. The electric field profile around the wells acts as an electrostatic lens, concentrating nanoparticles and significantly bolstering process yield. The aggregation of PPN is governed by a balance between plasma expansion throughout the wells, inter-particle repulsion, particle size and density. PPN are readily dispersed in aqueous solution yielding monodisperse populations. The use of a disposable well-shape collector provides a cost-effective nanoparticle collection approach that can be adopted in a wide range of plasma polymerization configurations without the need for reactor re-design.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-09-2018
Abstract: Conventional wound therapy utilizes wound coverage to prevent infection, trauma, and fluid and thermal loss. However, this approach is often inadequate for large and/or chronic wounds, which require active intervention via therapeutic cells to promote healing. To address this need, a patch which delivers multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs) is developed. Medical-grade polyurethane (PU) films are modified using plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII), which creates a radical-rich layer capable of rapidly and covalently attaching biomolecules. It is demonstrated that a short treatment duration of 400 s maximizes surface activation and wettability, minimizes reduction in gas permeability, and preserves the hydrolytic resistance of the PU film. The reactivity of PIII-treated PU is utilized to immobilize the extracellular matrix protein tropoelastin in a functional conformation that stably withstands medical-grade ethylene oxide sterilization. The PIII-treated tropoelastin-functionalized patch significantly promotes MAPC adhesion and proliferation over standard PU, while fully maintaining cell phenotype. Topical application of the MAPC-seeded patch transfers cells to a human skin model, while undelivered MAPCs repopulate the patch surface for subsequent cell transfer. The potential of this new wound patch as a reservoir for the sustained delivery of therapeutic MAPCs and cell-secreted factors for large and/or non-healing wounds is indicated in the findings.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 08-09-2021
Abstract: Implant devices containing insulin-secreting β-cells hold great promise for the treatment of diabetes. Using in vitro cell culture, long-term function and viability are enhanced when β-cells are cultured with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Here, our goal is to engineer a favorable environment within implant devices, where ECM proteins are stably immobilized on polymer scaffolds, to better support β-cell adhesion. Four different polymer candidates (low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polystyrene (PS), polyethersulfone (PES) and polysulfone (PSU)) were treated using plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) to enable the covalent attachment of laminin on their surfaces. Surface characterisation analysis shows the increased hydrophilicity, polar groups and radical density on all polymers after the treatment. Among the four polymers, PIII-treated LDPE has the highest water contact angle and the lowest radical density which correlate well with the non-significant protein binding improvement observed after 2 months of storage. The study found that the radical density created by PIII treatment of aromatic polymers was higher than that created by the treatment of aliphatic polymers. The higher radical density significantly improves laminin attachment to aromatic polymers, making them better substrates for β-cell adhesion.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-01-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-017-02545-6
Abstract: Surface functionalization of an implantable device with bioactive molecules can overcome adverse biological responses by promoting specific local tissue integration. Bioactive peptides have advantages over larger protein molecules due to their robustness and sterilizability. Their relatively small size presents opportunities to control the peptide orientation on approach to a surface to achieve favourable presentation of bioactive motifs. Here we demonstrate control of the orientation of surface-bound peptides by tuning electric fields at the surface during immobilization. Guided by computational simulations, a peptide with a linear conformation in solution is designed. Electric fields are used to control the peptide approach towards a radical-functionalized surface. Spontaneous, irreversible immobilization is achieved when the peptide makes contact with the surface. Our findings show that control of both peptide orientation and surface concentration is achieved simply by varying the solution pH or by applying an electric field as delivered by a small battery.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 06-01-2020
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 22-12-2023
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 07-05-2018
Abstract: Silk fibroin isolated from Bombyx mori cocoons is a promising material for a range of biomedical applications, but it has no inherent cell-interactive domains, necessitating functionalization with bioactive molecules. Here we demonstrate significantly enhanced cell interactions with silk fibroin biomaterials in the absence of biofunctionalization following surface modification using plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). Further, PIII treated silk fibroin biomaterials supported direct covalent immobilization of proteins on the material surface in the absence of chemical cross-linkers. Surface analysis after nitrogen plasma and PIII treatment at 20 kV revealed that the silk macromolecules are significantly fragmented, and at the higher fluences of implanted ions, surface carbonization was observed to depths corresponding to that of the ion penetration. Consistent with the activity of radicals created in the treated surface layer, oxidation was observed on contact with atmospheric oxygen and the PIII treated surfaces were capable of direct covalent immobilization of bioactive macromolecules. Changes in thickness, amide and nitrile groups, refractive index, and extinction coefficient in the wavelength range 400-1000 nm as a function of ion fluence are presented. Reactions responsible for the restructuring of the silk surface under ion beam treatment that facilitate covalent binding of proteins and a significant improvement in cell interactions on the modified surface are proposed.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 14-12-2020
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 06-01-2023
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 08-2022
Abstract: Cathodic arcs are electrical discharges consisting of a succession of discrete pulses of energetic plasma travelling from the surface of a cathode toward an anode. Currently, there are no vacuum arc simulations where spots are continuously generated with a set frequency, including the far-field plasma jet, with the inclusion of kinetic behaviour for both ions and electrons. The VSim 11 particle-in-cell software was used to simulate specific vacuum arcs as axisymmetric, electrostatic, and fully kinetic, from the initial generation of each cathode spot to the streaming plasma discharge at a far field, validating the predictions against experimental data. The models were configured to match the experimental arc gun of Zohrer et al and the Mevva V experiment with the cathode materials Al and Nb. The ion and electron velocity data were collected at the far edge of the simulation domain, analogous to a physical energy detector. The simulations successfully predicted the evolution of ion charge state energy distributions, showing peak unmagnetized ion energies that agree with prior experimental data, resulting in a mean error of 3% for Al and Nb. A peak in the electrostatic potential is observed above the cathode surface, supporting the potential hump theory as the cause of the higher-than-expected ion energies observed in cathodic arc discharges. Lower than expected relative energies between ion charge states are observed, matching prior experimental results, with this coupling of ion charge states attributed to non-stationary electrostatic wave–particle interactions, as the use of collisionless simulations rules out Coulombic ion friction. Magnetised simulations incorporated a statically powered short solenoid equivalent to the coil used in the Mevva V experiment to create a erging magnetic nozzle. The magnetised simulation results demonstrate an annular jet of magnetically confined plasma and indicate an increase in nonstationary electrostatic effects including wave–particle interactions.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 30-08-2022
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 27-08-2020
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 18-02-2021
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 04-11-2020
Abstract: Amorphous carbon films have many applications that require control over their sp 3 fraction to customise the electrical, optical and mechanical properties. Ex les of these applications include coatings for machine parts, biomedical and microelectromechanical devices. In this work, we demonstrate the use of a magnetic field with a high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) source as a simple, new approach to give control over the sp 3 fraction. We provide evidence that this strategy enhances the deposition rate by focusing the flux, giving films with high tetrahedral bonding at the centre of the deposition field and lower sp 3 fractions further from the centre. Resistive switching appears in films with intermediate sp 3 fractions. The production of thin amorphous carbon films with selected properties without the need for electrical bias opens up applications where insulating substrates are required. For ex le, deposition of sp 3 rich films on polymers for wear resistant coatings as well as fabrication of resistive switching devices for neuromorphic technologies that require tuning of the sp 3 fraction on insulating substrates are now possible.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 11-2018
Publisher: American Vacuum Society
Date: 31-10-2023
DOI: 10.1116/6.0003064
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-03-2021
Abstract: Precise control of capacitively coupled radiofrequency (CCRF) plasma reactors is required to achieve desired outcomes in surface functionalisation and material synthesis processes. This necessitates detailed mapping of the large process parameter space and a thorough understanding of spatial and temporal variations of the plasma throughout the reactor. These goals can only feasibly be achieved with accurate numerical modelling. Previous numerical studies of CCRF discharges have implemented a range of simplifying assumptions to improve numerical tractability, such as small electrode spacing, radial uniformity, fewer active species and simplified boundary conditions, while neglecting self‐bias formation. Although this approach is useful in developing the methodology for continuum plasma modelling, it poses challenges for direct comparison with experimental data and for understanding the behaviour of plasma processes employed in the surface treatment of large, complex objects, or the synthesis of nanoparticles. Here we report the development of a two‐dimensional axisymmetric continuum model for a CCRF reactor with a pure argon 13.56‐MHz discharge using the finite element method. The large electrode spacing and reactor design result in two distinct discharge regions and the formation of a strong DC self‐bias on the powered electrode. The plasma discharge is studied as the pressure is varied from 0.1 to 0.3 Torr, over the radiofrequency input power range of 25–100 W, which leads to consistent enhancements of the electron density and self‐bias. The impact of the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) on the discharge is assessed, with the assumption of a Druyvesteyn EEDF resulting in a bulk electron density and temperature of 3.4 × 10 15 m −3 and 3.3 eV, respectively, compared with 8.1 × 10 15 m −3 and 1.9 eV in the Maxwellian case. The asymmetric power distribution throughout the reactor is quantified to build a reduced domain model with a lower computational cost. The effect of an electrically floating parallel plate electrode is assessed, resulting in a 42% higher bulk plasma potential as compared with the grounded case. The inclusion of resonant and 2 p excited states of argon is shown to have a major impact on the discharge dynamics, leading to an order of magnitude reduction in bulk electron density. This study proposes a robust numerical model of a CCRF argon plasma discharge to facilitate future simulations of more complex discharges with important implications in plasma surface engineering and synthesis of materials.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 24-07-2020
Location: United States of America
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: Australia
Location: Australia
No related grants have been discovered for Marcela Bilek.