Polímeros: Ciência e Tecnologia
https://revistapolimeros.org.br/article/doi/10.1590/0104-1428.20250067
Polímeros: Ciência e Tecnologia
Original Article

Surface properties of stainless steel coated with plasma-modified gelatin films

Shih-Hang Chang; Chun-Yi Tseng

http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0104-1428.20250067 Polímeros: Ciência e Tecnologia, vol.36, n1, e20260005, 2026
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Abstract

This study investigates the surface modification of gelatin films coated on stainless steel using radio-frequency plasma treatment, with a particular emphasis on O2-plasma. Gelatin films cross-linked with glutaraldehyde were subjected to radio frequency plasma modification using N2, O2, and Ar atmospheres. Results showed that O2-plasma was most effective, reducing the water contact angle from 97.3° to 24.9° after 600 seconds due to the introduction of hydrophilic functional groups (–OH, –COOH, –CONH2). Short O2-plasma treatments (10-30 s) significantly decreased bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption from 452.5 to 334.4 μg/L (P < 10−4), indicating improved anti-protein adsorption behavior. However, treatments exceeding 60 seconds caused surface cracking and increased BSA adsorption due to higher roughness. The study concludes that controlled short-term O2-plasma modification effectively enhances the surface performance of gelatin-coated stainless steel for biomedical applications.

 

 

Keywords

gelatin, plasma, surface modification, bovine serum albumin

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