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US 5,462,781 AGranted
Surface modified porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene and process for making
AssigneeW. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
InventorStanislaw L. Zukowski
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AssigneeW. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
InventorStanislaw L. Zukowski
Estimating the term…
An implantable porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene material having a microstructure of nodes interconnected by fibrils wherein a surface of the material has been modified by the removal of fibrils from the surface so that under magnification the surface has the appearance of freestanding node portions not interconnected by fibrils but rather having open valleys disposed between the freestanding node portions. Unmodified material beneath the surface maintains the original microstructure of nodes interconnected by fibrils. The modification is preferably done by exposing the surface to radio frequency gas plasma discharge with a reactive etching gas for a lengthy amount of time such as about ten minutes. The depth of fibril removal from the surface is substantially a function of the duration and amount of energy applied to the surface.
An implantable material comprising porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene having a microstructure comprised of nodes interconnected by fibrils, said porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene comprising a three dimensional material having at least one surface wherein at least a substantial portion of the at least one surface is comprised of freestanding node portions with open valleys disposed between the freestanding node portions.
A method of modifying a surface of an implantable porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene material, said implantable porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene material having a microstructure of nodes interconnected by fibrils, said method comprising exposing the surface to a reactive gas plasma discharge until the fibrils are removed from at least a substantial portion of the surface and the surface is comprised of freestanding node portions with open valleys disposed between the freestanding node portions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.