Plastics have revolutionized laboratory workflows. From microplates and flasks to pipette tips and culture dishes, polymer-based labware is indispensable in life sciences. But when it comes to cell culture, most plastics need modification before they can support robust, reproducible cell growth.

That’s where plasma treatment comes in, a process that modifies the surface properties of plastic to promote better cell adhesion, spreading, and proliferation. While IonField Systems’ plasma-based technologies are primarily engineered for cleaning and reusing lab consumables, the same principles play a crucial role in improving cell compatibility on labware surfaces.

Why Untreated Plastic Fails for Cell Culture

Most labware plastics, including polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene, are hydrophobic by nature. They repel water, resist protein adsorption, and fail to support the attachment of anchorage-dependent cells, which represent the majority of cell types used in biomedical research.

Without surface modification, researchers could encounter:

• Poor or uneven cell attachment

   

• Reduced cell spreading or morphological abnormalities

   

• Inconsistent proliferation across experiments

   

This challenge was noted as early as the 1960s, when scientists observed that polystyrene required surface modification to become suitable for cell culture (Van der Valk et al., 2010).

 

How Plasma Treatment Works

Plasma treatment involves exposing a plastic surface to a low-temperature plasma — an ionized gas rich in reactive species and free radicals. This process alters the first few nanometers of the plastic surface in three key ways:

1. Removes surface contaminants

2. Breaks chemical bonds on the polymer surface

3. Introduces polar functional groups such as hydroxyl (-OH) and carboxyl (-COOH)

    

These changes alter the surface energy of the material, making it more hydrophilic and capable of binding proteins and extracellular matrix (ECM) components essential for cell adhesion.

Studies show that plasma-treated polystyrene exhibits significantly enhanced cell attachment compared to untreated controls (Freshney, 2010).

Benefits for Cell Culture Applications

Once plasma-treated, plastic culture surfaces demonstrate:

• Enhanced cell adhesion and spreading
  Plasma-modified surfaces provide the right biochemical cues for cells to anchor, flatten,    and grow.

   

• Improved protein adsorption
  Hydrophilic surfaces bind serum proteins and ECM molecules like fibronectin or collagen more effectively.

   

• More reproducible growth conditions
  Uniform surface treatment reduces variability across wells, plates, and experiments.

   

In fact, many tissue culture-treated plastics on the market today are oxygen-plasma treated specifically to achieve these benefits.

A comparative study demonstrated that plasma-treated polypropylene surfaces significantly improved mesenchymal stem cell adhesion and proliferation over 7 days, compared to untreated surfaces (Xu et al., 2018).

Sustainable Surface Enhancement with Plasma

Plasma treatment is not only effective — it’s also clean and sustainable. Unlike solvent-based surface coatings, plasma:

• Requires no harsh chemicals

   

• Generates minimal waste

   

• Works at room temperature

   

• Is compatible with sterile, high-throughput workflows

For labs exploring reuse and circularity, plasma treatment also plays a role in restoring the functional properties of cleaned consumables, including improving surface characteristics for subsequent use.

Final Thoughts

Plasma surface treatment is a proven, versatile method to improve the biocompatibility of plastic labware. By increasing surface energy and introducing cell-friendly functional groups, plasma prepares plastic surfaces to support high-quality, consistent cell growth across a wide range of applications.

At IonField Systems, we’re advancing how plasma is used in the lab — not just for single-use plastic reduction, but to unlock better performance, more sustainable workflows, and higher-quality science.

Interested in learning how plasma could improve your lab’s workflow?
 

Contact us here or explore our product solutions for tip and plate cleaning systems.

 

References

1. Van der Valk, J. et al. (2010). Optimization of chemically defined cell culture media–replacing fetal bovine serum in mammalian in vitro methods. Trends in Biotechnology, 28(5), 261–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2010.01.001
2. Freshney, R.I. (2010). Culture of Animal Cells: A Manual of Basic Technique and Specialized Applications, 6th Ed. Wiley-Blackwell.

    

3. Xu, L. et al. (2018). Surface modification of polypropylene membrane by low-temperature plasma treatment for improved cell adhesion and proliferation. Applied Surface Science, 447, 38–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.03.085