Microstructure surface enhancement factor

Leddy and Vanderborgh showed that deposition of Nafion into the cylindrical pores of Nucleopore polycarbonate membranes enhanced mass transport of electroactive cations to the surface of the electrode by an order of magnitude (75). It appears that morphological changes on the 0.01-0.1 micron scale can lead to chemical effects on the atomic/molecular/ionic level for this and other systems. It will take some time to understand the factors controlling such features of a microstructure. Interfacial chemical and physical interactions control such phenomena, and are some of the most difficult to examine experimentally. 

Infection Is an Important concern for the medical device Industry. While the exact causes of Infection remain unclear there appears to be an association of Implanted biomedical devices with an enhanced Ukellhood for Infection [1,2]. The pathway for such Infections Is complicated and depends on numerous factors Including the material used In the device, as well as the device location and expected Implantation time [3]. For example a catheter associated with balloon angioplasty may be In place for minutes while a total joint replacement device may be expected to function In-vivo for two decades or more. Some materials appear to be more sensitive to bacterial contamination because of their composition, microstructure, degree of porosity, or surface chemistry of the material Itself [4,5]. 

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