Enhanced Corrosion Resistance of Silicone-Coated Stents by Plasma Treatment

The interfacial bonding of silicone-coated stents was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and anodic potentiodynamic polarization tests. The coaxial in-lens secondary electron imaging revealed partial bonding between silicon rubber and nitinol alloy strips in both primer-treatment and plasma-treatment cases. Several strands between the polymer and stent substrate were observed in both cases and it seems that the bonding strength is the same. However, potentiodynamic polarization tests have shown that the corrosion rates of the plasma-treated nitinol stents were less than half of that of the primer-treated stents, indicating higher corrosion resistance. This enhanced corrosion resistance may be attributed to the modification of the physical properties of the surface of the stents by plasma treatments, making the oxide layer more effective than that of the primer-treated stents.