Role of Surface Dipole Alignment in Modulating Cellular Activities on Poly(vinylidene fluoride)

Understanding and controlling the surface properties of bioscaffolds are crucial for regulating cell adhesion and proliferation behaviors. We here focused on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), in which polymer chains are oriented through poling treatment to form a polar β-form crystal. The surface aggregation states of uniaxially stretched PVDF films subjected to poling treatment were investigated based on water contact angle measurements and sum-frequency generation spectroscopy. During poling treatment under a sufficiently strong electric field, the dipole moments of β-form crystals, which are inherently aligned within each crystalline domain, become more uniformly oriented across the entire film. As a result, the surface resists structural reorganization even upon exposure to water. This stable surface, which maintains its aggregation states despite environmental changes, was found to promote cell adhesion and proliferation, as well as protein adsorption. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between the aggregation states on polymer scaffold surfaces and protein interactions, ultimately advancing insights into cell behaviors.