Influence of liquid repellency and slipperiness on blood-material interactions

Blood-contacting medical devices are an integral part of modern medicine, but as a foreign material, the immune system is inherently activated and induces thrombosis. To avoid the adverse effects of the devices, concurrent anticoagulant therapies are frequently administered, but anticoagulants carry their own detrimental risks. Therefore, we investigated the interactions of blood cells with non-textured surfaces on glass coverslips functionalized with polymeric brushes. We synthesized four categories of distinct surface coatings and characterized them based on liquid repellency and slipperiness: less slippery hydrophobic, more slippery hydrophobic, less slippery hydrophilic, and more slippery hydrophilic. Fluorescent imaging revealed that platelets and leukocytes adhere and activate significantly less on the more slippery hydrophilic (SLIC) surfaces compared to the other three surfaces. Microfluidics coupled with fluorescent microscopy showed that under dynamic conditions with an actively polymerizing flow buffer, the SLIC-coated glass not only inhibited clot growth, but also enabled clot degradation compared to uncoated glass. This work demonstrates the potential of SLIC surfaces in reducing adverse thrombotic events resulting from blood-contacting medical devices.