Tailoring Protein Adsorption at the Solid-Liquid Interface for Long-Term Superhemophobicity

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Super-repellent surfaces with micro/nanoscale roughness can maintain blood in the Cassie-Baxter state, minimizing solid-liquid contact for biomedical use.
• Conventional superhydrophobic surfaces face protein adsorption and thrombosis risk due to blood flow, transitioning to the Wenzel state.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a chemically heterogeneous superhemophobic surface inspired by Salvinia.
• To prevent protein adsorption and maintain the Cassie-Baxter state for enhanced blood repellency.

Main Methods:

• Incorporating hydrophilic molecules at solid-liquid contact areas based on surface topography and chemistry.
• Creating chemically heterogeneous superhemophobic surfaces.

Main Results:

• The heterogeneous surface effectively prevented protein adsorption and maintained the Cassie-Baxter state.
• Blood-repellent time was over tenfold longer than conventional superhydrophobic surfaces.
• In vivo studies in rabbits confirmed sustained hemocompatibility and thrombosis resistance for over 55 hours.

Conclusions:

• The heterogeneous design provides extended resistance to biological fluids.
• This approach is promising for developing blood-contacting devices, including membranes for extracorporeal membrane oxygenators.