Surface Modification of Biomaterials: A Quest for Blood Compatibility
Table 1
Summary of the various modification techniques currently employed for optimising blood-material interactions [26].
Modification
Description
Physical immobilisation
Polymer gelling (growth factor mixed with the material in the liquid state and change temp, pH or ion concentration to obtain a gel with nanopores) Emulsion techniques (factors which are insoluble in aqueous solutions) High pressure gas foaming (incorporate GF into porous scaffolds, without the use of solvents)
Covalent modification
Surface distribution of ligands Distribution of ligands through the bulk of the material
Surface adsorption
Passive adsorption driven by secondary interactions between the molecule and the protein Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) adsorption of the peptide (which is designed with hydrophobic tail and a spacer) from solution Microcontact printing of alkanethiol SAMs, photolithography (on hard materials), soft lithography (on elastomeric materials) Direct protein patterning: drop dispensing, microfluidic patterning
Crosslinking
Photo/chemical crosslinking
Altering surface wettability
Ion bombardment UV irradiation Exposure to plasma discharge
Altering surface roughness
Deposition of polymer films/islands, nanoparticles, metallographic paper or diamond paste polishing, sand blasting, photolithography, and e-beam etching
