Surface modification of polymers with grafting and coating of silane hybrids and their bioactivity

Hydrated silica rich Si-OH and Si-O^- groups serve in a body environment as sites for nucleation of apatite, and are known as an essential chemical species for bioactive materials. Organic polymers having surface modified with the hydrated silica will show bioactivity: bone tissues grow toward the apatite layer and bond to materials. Thus MOPS-M (3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane) was grafted under emulsion polymerization procedure to high density polyethylene (HDPE), poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) and polyamide (PA) substrates to examine in vitro deposition of apatite (bioactivity) after soaking in a simulated body fluid (Kokubo solution). Bioactivity was confirmed for the grafted PVC and PA substrates and discussed in terms of contact angle and relative amount of grafted silane molecules.