Collagen adsorption on poly(methyl methacrylate): net-like structure formation upon drying

Collagen adsorbed on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was investigated usin g X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and water contact angle measurement, after either fast drying or slow drying. Quantification by :XPS of the amount of adsorbed collagen is shown to be in fluenced by the drying procedure; This is explained by AFM images, which re veal the formation of a net-like structure at slow drying rates. Comparison between the surface organization, as observed by AFM, surface models provi ded by XPS and contact angle measurements, indicates that chemically hetero geneous surfaces are produced at slow drying rates, PMMA being exposed at t he outermost surface in the holes left by the collagen net. (C) 1999 Societ y of Chemical Industry.