Polymers are being used in an increasingly wider range of applications, particularly in the medical device industry. It is vital to understand polymer surface characteristics because many critical interactions between the polymer and its environment occur at the surface. For instance, the surface of a polymer used in a medical device is often the interface between the body and the device. By controlling the surface properties of the polymer, the medical device designer can enhance or inhibit various reactions of the body to the device. The interaction between the polymer and its environment depends in large part on surface composition and structure. Treatments such as spraying, vacuum deposition, and chemical or plasma etching have been developed to produce other desired surface characteristics and topographies.
Since surface composition and topography play such a large role in the performance of the polymer, precise surface characterization can be an important part in the rapid deployment of new materials or understanding of problems and behavior in existing materials. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), with its high-resolution surface mapping capabilities, can be a key component of that characterization.