Structural-mechanical and antibacterial properties of a soft elastic polyurethane surface after plasma immersion N2(+) implantation.

The surface of elastic polyurethane treated by plasma immersion N2(+) ion implantation at different fluences has been investigated. A folded surface structure is observed in all cases. Analysis has been performed to study the structural (roughness, steepness and fraction of folds, fractal characteristics), mechanical (stiffness, adhesion force between the AFM probe and the material) and wetting properties of surfaces.