Tailoring thin films for implant-specific applications

Research and development of polyester thin film implants can be tailored for controlled drug release, mechanical properties and surface properties. The high number of parameters often makes the optimization process slow and laborious. By employing high-throughput drug release and gradient-casting techniques, we show how these properties can be rapidly optimized. The employment of these techniques has yielded methods in which drug release can be tailored without the use of additives and how the choice of certain additives can change material properties while negligibly affecting drug release. Alternatively, plasma post-treatment may allow tailoring of thin film material properties though the judicious use of plasmas such as oxygen, argon, or a combination of them.