Adhesion improvement at the PMMA bone cement-titanium implant interface using methyl methacrylate atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization

In this work, methyl methacrylate based coatings are deposited on Ti, using an atmospheric pressure DBD plasma to improve the Ti–PMMA bone cement interfacial adhesion. Surface analysis (XPS, AFM, optical reflectance spectroscopy) indicates a well-controlled deposition process of long-term water-stable coatings with good tunability towards thickness and functional group retention. Different sample series, both plasma activated and plasma coated, immobilized in bone cement, are submitted to pull-out tests. Results show a maximum increase of 50% in adhesive force. Ageing tests show that plasma-treated samples return to their original adhesive properties within 14 days, while plasma-coated samples maintain stability.