Biology & Biomedical
Effective biological and biomedical research requires specific control of the cellular microenvironment and biomaterial characteristics. Plasma treatment cleans and activates the surfaces of biomaterials through the introduction of functional groups without affecting the bulk. Increased hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity of material surfaces increase the adhesion, coverage and proliferation of cells or induce the formation of spheroids respectively. In addition, plasma treatment has been shown to improve biocompatibility characteristics for numerous applications. As a result plasma treatments is used extensively for cell seeding, protein adsorption, biomaterial coating and implant surface activation. This page contains brief application summaries and relevant articles concerning the use of plasma treatment in biological and biomedical research.
Polycarbonate Microfluidics
Polycarbonate (PC) is a widely used engineering thermoplastic in microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip systems, valued for its high optical transparency, exceptional impact strength and toughness, dimensional stability, and a high glass transition...
Meetoptics
Harrick Plasma Joins Meetoptics, Expanding Access to Plasma Cleaning Solutions Through AI-Guided Search Harrick Plasma has recently joined MEETOPTICS, the largest AI-based marketplace in optics and photonics, making its plasma cleaning and...
Microelectrode Arrays
Microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are widely used for extracellular recording of neural activity, requiring consistent and uniform cell adhesion across the electrode surface. However, MEA substrates such as glass and silicon are inherently hydrophobic,...
Organoids
Organoids are self-organizing, three-dimensional structures derived from stem cells that recapitulate native organ architecture with remarkable fidelity. Since the first intestinal organoids were generated from adult Lgr5+ stem cells embedded in...
Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRP)
Harrick Plasma Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRP) are widely used in high-performance applications such as wind turbine blades, aerospace components, and automotive structures due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and tunable mechanical properties. However,...
Cyclic Olefin Polymer (COP) Microfluidics
Cyclic olefin polymers (COP) and copolymers (COC) have emerged as leading materials for advanced microfluidic and bioanalytical devices. Their popularity is driven by a unique combination of properties, including excellent optical transparency, low...
PMMA Microfluidics
Plasma cleaning and activation are the near-universal first step for working with PMMA in microfluidics. Exposing PMMA to oxygen or air plasma breaks surface polymer chains and grafts oxygen-containing groups such as hydroxyl and carboxyl onto the...
Silicone
Silicone elastomers are widely used in medical devices and soft robotic systems because of their flexibility, chemical stability, and ease of fabrication. Examples include breast implants, urinary catheters, neural shunts, pacemaker leads, tubing,...
Wunderlichips
For many microfluidic laboratories and early-stage companies, device fabrication can become a significant demand on time and resources. While many groups are capable of fabricating their own chips, doing so often requires dedicated cleanroom...
Kloe
Kloe France and Harrick Plasma equipment have powered breakthroughs in microfabrication, biochips, and lab-on-chip development. Across leading research institutes worldwide, scientists rely on this complementary pairing: Kloe France provides...
Optical Fibers
Optical fibers, ranging from silica glass to specialty polymer and PDMS-based waveguides, are integral to telecommunications, sensing, and biomedical applications. Achieving reliable performance from optical fibers hinges on precise surface...
Glass Slides
Glass slides and coverslips are essential substrates in microscopy. To ensure reliable and high-clarity imaging, it is critical that these surfaces are free of organic contamination. Plasma treatment offers an efficient, chemical-free solution for...
Military PPE
To provide adequate protection against biological and chemical warfare agents, military personal protective equipment ( Military PPE ) must filter and/or degrade the toxic agent to safe levels. These processes are achieved by surface engineering of...
Copper
Copper is widely used in engineering research due to its high conductivity and ductility. Plasma treatment enhances the performance of copper surfaces across a wide range of applications, from improving sample adhesion on electron microscopy (EM)...
Hydrogels
Hydrogels are hydrophilic, polymerized networks with high biocompatibility. Hydrogels trap water and other fluids, making them ideal for drug delivery, cell seeding, and tissue engineering applications. Hydrogel fabrication relies on plasma...
Breath Sensor
Flexible polymer-based sensors offer a non-invasive and cost-effective alternative to traditional diagnostic procedures like biopsies or blood tests. These sensors are easy to use and can be worn on or near the skin. One class of these sensors,...
PDMS Clinostat
The study of microgravity’s effects on cells has become increasingly significant as long-duration space missions become more likely. Since actual microgravity environments, such as aboard the International Space Station (ISS), are expensive and...
Battery Research
Recent advances in battery research have made lithium-ion batteries a mainstay of electric vehicles, smartphones, and grid-scale energy storage. Lithium-ion batteries contain several major components. A positively charged region (cathode) stores...
Programming Naive T Cells
Adoptive T cell therapy (or T-cell transfer therapy) is an emerging immunotherapy with the potential to improve outcomes for late-stage cancer patients. The technique relies on programming naïve T cells to induce therapeutic responses directly in...
Photocatalysis
Photocatalysis is a process where light energy, usually from ultraviolet (UV) sources, is used to accelerate a chemical reaction through the activation of a catalyst. The ability to degrade harmful substances and improve material properties under...