Polydopamine/poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) Co-deposition coatings triggered by CuSO₄/H₂O₂ on implants for improved...

Implanted biomaterials such as medical catheters are prone to be adhered by proteins, platelets and bacteria due to their surface hydrophobicity characteristics, and then induce related infections and thrombosis. Hence, the development of a versatile strategy to endow surfaces with antibacterial and antifouling functions is particularly significant for blood-contacting materials. In this work, CuSO₄/H₂O₂ was used to trigger polydopamine (PDA) and poly-(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) co-deposition process to endow polyurethane (PU) antibacterial and antifouling surface (PU/PDA(Cu)/PSBMA). The zwitterions contained in the PU/PDA(Cu)/PSBMA coating can significantly improve surface wettability to reduce protein adsorption, thereby improving its blood compatibility. In addition, the copper ions released from the metal-phenolic networks (MPNs) imparted them more than 90% antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. Notably, PU/PDA(Cu)/PSBMA also exhibits excellent performance in vivo mouse catheter-related infections models. Thus, the PU/PDA(Cu)/PSBMA has great application potential for developing multifunctional surface coatings for blood-contacting materials so as to improve antibacterial and anticoagulant properties.