1. Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Department of Materials Engineering & University Hospital Research Center, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, G1K 7P4, Canada;2. Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Department of Materials Engineering, Pavillon Adrien‐Pouliot, 1745‐E, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, G1K 7P4, Canada
Abstract:
Soft coatings are widely used to tailor the surface chemistry of materials without altering their bulk properties. However, the strength of adhesion between the coating and the substrate must be high enough for long‐term applications. This has become a major challenge in the medical field, especially for polymer‐coated stents, mainly due to several coating failures reported after mechanical expansion during clinical implantation. In this work, the applicability of current polymer‐metal adhesion tests to polymer‐coated stents is discussed. The small punch test was proposed as an adhesion test that allows fundamental studies on the adhesion and coating properties. This adhesion test was applied to thin fluorocarbon coatings deposited by plasma on 316L stainless steel.
