The characteristics of surfaces are becoming more and more important in every section of industry. Regarding to the surfaces, many materials often have desired properties, inherent within the coating material. With different objectives the Fraunhofer IGB develops methods which effect the following modifications of surfaces:

• Surfaces are cleaned and activated to optimize wettability and adhesion.
• Surfaces are coated to realise protective functions (scratch- resistance, permeation barrier coatings, dirt- resistance, corrosion protection) and additionally optical and electrical functions.
• Surfaces are furnished with chemically active functions to interact with each other in a chemical way.

A large number of tasks are solved at the Fraunhofer IGB with low pressure plasma process partly in combination with wet chemical methods.Special points of focus lie in the processing of polymeric materials and in medical engineering. In cooperation with biochemists, micro- and cellbiologists surfaces for applications in biology, medicine and pharmacy are adapted. For this purpose we are prepared and analytically well- equipped.