ABSTRACT
Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) is in the transition region between the analytical chemists' laboratory and the widespread introduction into the biomedical research community. This chapter describes the surface analysis technique called ESCA and discusses its potential for application to biomedical problems. It reviews the small but growing literature on the application of ESCA to biological and biomedical problems. The chapter illustrates the application of ESCA data to an active research area in biomaterials science, namely, polyurethanes. It deals with ESCA studies of polyurethanes for biomedical applications address two issues: the surface-bulk compositional differentiation in polyurethanes or the relationship between cell and blood interaction and polyurethane surface structure. The chapter attempts to present a comprehensible introduction to ESCA, particularly as it might affect the biological scientist who is interested in this technique to obtain supporting data.
