Biocompatibility of fluorinated polyimide

Contact between blood and biomaterial triggers a complex series of events including protein adsorption, leukocyte adhesion and activation, and complement activation. In this article, a series of fluorinated polyimides cured at a different temperatures was prepared, and the biocompatibility of the membranes was evaluated using in vitro protein adsorption, neutrophil adhesion, and complement activation experiments under static conditions. We found that protein adsorption, neutrophil adhesion, and complement activation for the polyimides significantly depends on the curing temperature and decreases with an increase in the temperature and that the polyimide has a good biocompatibility compared with poly(styrene) and polydimethylsiloxane. We concluded that the rearrangement of molecules such as CF(3), sulfone, and ketone at the outermost surface occurs because of curing, which induces an increase in the hydrophobicity and that the cured polyimide suppresses protein adsorption, neutrophil adhesion, and complement activation because of its high hydrophobicity and low surface free energy.