System and method for enhanced electrostatic deposition and surface coatings

1. A method for forming a coating on a surface of a substrate, comprising:

providing a substrate;

establishing an electric field between said substrate and a counter electrode;

producing coating particles suspended in a gaseous phase of an expanded near-critical or supercritical fluid released from an expansion nozzle having a first average electric potential; and

contacting said coating particles with a stream of charged ions from an auxiliary emitter at a second average electric potential in an inert carrier gas to increase the charge differential between said coating particles and said substrate, wherein said coating particles impact said substrate to form a coating on the surface of the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating particles have a first velocity upon release of the coating particles from the expansion nozzle that is less than a second velocity of the coating particles when said coating particles impact said substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein attraction of the coating particles to the substrate is increased as compared to attraction of the coating particles to the substrate in a system without the auxiliary emitter.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first average electric potential is different than the second average electric potential.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein an absolute value of the first average electric potential is less than an absolute value of the second average electric potential, and wherein a polarity of the charged ions is the same as a polarity of the coating particles.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said coating particles have a size between about 0.01 micrometers and about 10 micrometers.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said substrate has a negative polarity and an enhanced charge of said coating particles following the contacting step is a positive charge; or wherein said substrate has a positive polarity and an enhanced charge of said coating particles following the contacting step is a negative charge.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting step comprises forming a positive corona or forming a negative corona positioned between the expansion nozzle and said substrate.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting step comprises forming a positive corona or forming a negative corona positioned between the auxiliary emitter and said substrate.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating has a density on said surface from about 1 volume % to about 60 volume %.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said coating particles comprises at least one of: a polymer, a drug, a biosorbable material, a protein, a peptide, or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said coating particles comprises at least one of: polylactic acid (PLA); poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA); polycaprolactone (poly(e-caprolactone)) (PCL), polyglycolide (PG) or (PGA), poly-3-hydroxybutyrate; LPLA poly(l-lactide), DLPLA poly(dl-lactide), PDO poly(dioxolane), PGA-TMC, 85/15 DLPLG p(dl-lactide-co-glycolide), 75/25 DLPL, 65/35 DLPLG, 50/50 DLPLG, TMC poly(trimethylcarbonate), p(CPP:SA) poly(1,3-bis-p-(carboxyphenoxy)propane-co-sebacic acid) and blends, combinations, homopolymers, condensation polymers, alternating, block, dendritic, crosslinked, or copolymers thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said coating particles comprise at least one of: polyester, aliphatic polyester, polyanhydride, polyethylene, polyorthoester, polyphosphazene, polyurethane, polycarbonate urethane, aliphatic polycarbonate, silicone, a silicone containing polymer, polyolefin, polyamide, polycaprolactam, polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol, acrylic polymer, acrylate, polystyrene, epoxy, polyethers, celluiosics, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, phosphorylcholine, polyethyleneyerphthalate, polymethylmethavrylate, poly(ethylmethacrylate/n-butylmethacrylate), parylene C, polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate, polyalkyl methacrylates, polyalkylene-co-vinyl acetate, polyalkylene, polyalkyl siloxanes, polyhydroxyalkanoate, polyfluoroalkoxyphasphazine, poly(styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene), poly-butyl methacrylate, poly-byta-diene, and blends, combinations, homopolymers, condensation polymers, alternating, block, dendritic, crosslinked, or copolymers thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said coating particles include a drug comprising one or more of: rapamycin, biolimus (biolimus A9), 40-O-(2-Hydroxyethyl)rapamycin (everolimus), 40-O-Benzyl-rapamycin, 40-O-(4′-Hydroxymethyl)benzyl-rapamycin, 40-O-[4′-(1,2-Dihydroxyethyl)]benzyl-rapamycin, 40-O-Allyl-rapamycin, 40-O-[3′-(2,2-Dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4(S)-yl)-prop-2′-en-1′-yl]-rapamycin, (2′:E,4′S)-40-O-(4′,5′-Dihydroxypent-2′-en-1′-yl)-rapamycin, 40-O-(2-Hydroxy)ethoxycar-bonylmethyl-rapamycin, 40-O-(3-Hydroxy)propyl-rapamycin, 40-O-(6-Hydroxy)hexyl-rapamycin, 40-O-[2-(2-Hydroxy)ethoxy]ethyl-rapamycin, 40-O-[(3S)-2,2-Dimethyldioxolan-3-yl]methyl-rapamycin, 40-O-[(2S)-2,3-Dihydroxyprop-1-yl]rapamycin, 40-O-(2-Acetoxy)ethyl-rapamycin, 40-O-(2-Nicotinoyloxy)ethyl-rapamycin, 40-O-[2-(N-Morpholino)acetoxy]ethyl-rapamycin, 40-O-(2-N-Imidazolylacetoxy)ethyl-rapamycin, 40-O-[2-(N-Methyl-N′-piperazinyl)acetoxy]ethyl-rapamycin, 39-O-Desmethyl-39,40-O,O-ethylene-rapamycin, (26R)-26-Dihydro-40-O-(2-hydroxyethyl-rapamycin, 28-O-Methyl-rapamycin, 40-O-(2-Aminoethyl)-rapamycin, 40-O-(2-Acetaminoethyl)-rapamycin, 40-O-(2-Nicotinamidoethyl)-rapamycin, 40-O-(2-(N-Methyl-imidazo-2′-ylcarbethoxamido)ethyl)-rapamycin, 40-O-(2-Ethoxycarbonylaminoethyl)-rapamycin, 40-O-(2-Tolylsulfonamidoethyl)-rapamycin, 40-O-[2-(4′,5′-Dicarboethoxy-1′,2′,3′-triazol-1-yl)-ethyl]-rapamycin, 42-Epi-(tetrazolyl)rapamycin (tacrolimus), 42-[3-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpropanoate]rapamycin (temsirolimus), (42S)-42-Deoxy-42-(1H-tetrazol-1-yl)rapamycin(zotarolimus), salts, derivatives, isomers, racemates, diastereoisomers, prodrugs, hydrate, ester, or analogs thereof.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said coating on said substrate comprises polylactoglycolic acid (PLGA) at a density greater than 5 volume %.

16. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second velocity is in the range from about 0.1 cm/sec to about 100 cm/sec.

17. The method of claim 1 , further including the step of sintering said coating at a temperature in the range from about 25° C. to about 150° C. to form a dense, thermally stable film on said surface of said substrate.

18. The method of claim 1 , further including the step of sintering said coating in the presence of a solvent gas to form said dense, thermally stable film on said surface of said substrate.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein said producing and said contacting steps, at least, are repeated to form a multilayer film.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein said substrate is at least a portion of a medical implant.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein said substrate is an interventional device.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein said substrate is a diagnostic device.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein said substrate is a surgical tool.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein said substrate is a stent.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein said substrate is a medical balloon.

26. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating is non-dendritic as compared to a baseline average coating thickness.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein no coating extends more than 0.5 microns from the baseline average coating thickness.

28. The method of claim 26 , wherein no coating extends more than 1 micron from the baseline average coating thickness.

29. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating is non-dendritic such that there is no surface irregularity of the coating greater than 0.5 microns.

30. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating is non-dendritic such that there is no surface irregularity of the coating greater than 1 micron.

31. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating is non-dendritic such that there is no surface irregularity of the coating greater than 2 microns following sintering of the coated substrate.

32. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating is non-dendritic such that there is no surface irregularity of the coating greater than 3 microns following sintering of the coated substrate.