Biomaterials interact with the biological environment at their surface, making accurate biophysical characterization of the surface crucially important for understanding subsequent biological effects. In this study, the surface of polystyrene (PS) was systematically altered in order to determine the effect of plasma treatment and surface roughness on cell adhesion and spreading. Surfaces with water contact angle from hydrophilic (12°) to superhydrophobic (155°) were obtained through a combination of modifying surface roughness ( R_a), the deposition of siloxane coatings and the fluorination of the PS surface. R_a values in the range of 19—2365 nm were obtained by grinding the PS surface. The nanometer-thick siloxane coatings were deposited using an atmospheric pressure plasma system, while the fluorination of the PS was carried out using a low-pressure radio frequency (RF) plasma. The siloxane coatings were obtained using a liquid poly(dimethylsiloxane) precursor that was nebulized into helium or helium/oxygen plasmas. Water contact angles in the range of 12—122° were obtained with these coatings. Cell adhesion studies were carried out using human MG63 osteosarcoma cells. It was observed that higher polymer surface roughness enhanced cell adhesion, but had a negative effect on cell spreading. Optimum cell adhesion was observed at ∼64° for the siloxane coatings, with a decrease in adhesion observed for the more hydrophilic and hydrophobic coatings. This decrease in cell adhesion with an increase in hydrophobicity was also observed for the fluorinated PS surfaces with water contact angles in the range of 110—155°.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has been successfully applied for the fabrication of polymer components ranging from prototypes to final products. An issue, however, is that the resulting 3D printed parts exhibit inferior mechanical performance to parts fabricated using conventional polymer processing technologies, such as compression moulding. The addition of fibres and other materials into the polymer matrix to form a composite can yield a significant enhancement in the structural strength of printed polymer parts. This review focuses on the enhanced mechanical performance obtained through the printing of fibre-reinforced polymer composites, using the fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing technique. The uses of both short and continuous fibre-reinforced polymer composites are reviewed. Finally, examples of some applications of FFF printed polymer composites using robotic processes are highlighted.