Novel Growth of Biodegradable Thin Films via Matrix Assisted Laser Processing

Abstract

The ability to controllably deposit polymers onto flat or curved surfaces in a quasi-dry environment while retaining native-like structure is of extreme importance to the medical and microelectronics communities. Current applications range from protective and conformal coatings for microelectronics to sustained drug delivery platforms in the pharmaceutical industry. In this research, biodegradable thin films of poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), were deposited onto flat substrates of Si and NaCl using a pulsed excimer laser, (λ= 248 nm) with fluences ranging from 0.1 -1.0 J/cm 2 via matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE). Results are shown from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study morphological features and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to measure chemical structure compared to original PLGA.