The surfaces of standard untreated polystyrene cell culture dishes have been oxidatively modified for up to 8 min exposure time using an ultraviolet ozone treater in order to promote cell adhesion. Surface oxygen chemisorption and topographical modification has been characterized using monochromatic X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The oxidation process is shown to proceed at low exposure times (<60 s) via the formation of C-OR groups, although some R2C=O and RO-C=O groups are also formed. At longer treatments, RO-C=O groups become the dominant species, although the other groups are also present. The maximum level of oxygen reached is 36 atomic 8. Some of the oxygen present at surfaces treated at times of >60 s is in the form of loosely bound low molecular weight oxidized material (LMWOM) which is produced by oxidative scission of the PS backbone. Water washing leads to a reduction in surface oxygen content mainly by the removal of RO-C=O and R2C=O functional groups. The residual stable oxygen levels, which can be introduced, are approximately 20-25 atomic %. Surface chemistry changes are accompanied by the formation of surface spikes which are about 30 nm high and 300-400 nm wide. A correlation between treatment time/oxygen level and overall roughness is observed. The effect of washing upon the topography is to slightly increase the surface roughness, although not to a significant degree. The attachment kinetics of adhesion for Chinese hamster ovary cells show that adhesion occurs much more rapidly for oxidized surfaces than for untreated control materials. A direct correlation between the levels of oxidation and the rate of cell adhesion is demonstrated.