Barbieri Thesis - BioMedical Materials program (BMM)

Chapter 5 – Al lkali surface treaatment
effects
Figure 2. SEEM
images showwing
the starting g surface of (a) M0, (b) M1 and d (c) M2 granule es. It can be
observed thaat
the surface treaatment
removed the surface polymmer
exposing ap patite. With the increase
of the
strength of alkali
surface treattment,
there was an increase of aapatite
exposure on o the surface. BSEM B images
of cross–secttioned
starting granules
were tak ken for (d) M0, (ee)
M1 and (f) M2 2. Increasing thic ckness in the
exposed apaatite
layers (indiccated
by white arrows) a was obseerved
with the in ncrease of surfa ace treatment
strength as NNaOH
hydrolyzedd
and removed th he surface polymmer.
Please note that the ‘salt’ eff fect in BSEM
images is due
to the presencce
of sand granu ules after polishinng
the embedded d samples (to rem move the top
MMA layer frrom
the sectioned
block). Confirm mation that such granules are sand
comes from checking c with
stereomicroscope.
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