Fabricating Superhydrophobic Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Superhydrophobic materials, with surfaces possessing permanent or metastable non-wetted states, are of interest for a number of biomedical and industrial applications. Here we describe how electrospinning or electrospraying a polymer mixture containing a biodegradable, biocompatible aliphatic polyester (e.g., polycaprolactone and poly(lactide-co-glycolide)), as the major component, doped with a hydrophobic copolymer composed of the polyester and a stearate-modified poly(glycerol carbonate) affords a superhydrophobic biomaterial. The fabrication techniques of electrospinning or electrospraying provide the enhanced surface roughness and porosity on and within the fibers or the particles, respectively. The use of a low surface energy copolymer dopant that blends with the polyester and can be stably electrospun or electrosprayed affords these superhydrophobic materials. Important parameters such as fiber size, copolymer dopant composition and/or concentration, and their effects on wettability are discussed. This combination of polymer chemistry and process engineering affords a versatile approach to develop application-specific materials using scalable techniques, which are likely generalizable to a wider class of polymers for a variety of applications. Video LinkThe video component of this article can be found at

Superhydrophobic materials for biomedical applications

“…In general, drug delivery from electrospun fibers is an active area of research and techniques for electrospinning nanofibers are reviewed by Hu et al and Chou et al [215,216]. Reports from our laboratory [76–78,217,218] describe the fabrication and characterization of superhydrophobic 3D materials as drug delivery devices. By varying the stability of an entrapped air layer within these 3D materials, the rate of drug release is controlled.…”

Performance characterization and biocompatibility assessment of silicone polyurethanes for polymer heart valve applications

“…As the application of polymer materials in heart valve technology continues to advance, nding polymers with optimal biocompatibility and biological stability has become one of the most challenging frontiers in the biomedical eld. 13,14 Simultaneously, the preparation, properties, and application research of biomedical polymer materials have garnered considerable attention from the academic and industrial sectors. [15][16][17] However, the development and application of polymer materials for articial heart valves remain a highly challenging issue.…”