Mechanical properties of a laminin–apatite composite layer formed on an ethylene–vinyl alcohol copolymer

A polymeric material with a laminin–apatite composite (L–Ap) layer on its surface would be useful as a material for percutaneous devices with improved cell-adhesion properties and good biocompatibility. Such a laminin–apatite-polymer composite can be prepared using a liquid phase coating process. In this study, the mechanical properties of an L–Ap layer formed on an ethylene–vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) plate were evaluated and compared with those of an apatite (Ap) layer. The laminin immobilized in the L–Ap layer increased the layer's shear strength under wet conditions. However, under dry conditions, there was no advantage of the laminin immobilization on the layer's shear strength and adhesive strength to an EVOH plate. The adhesive strength of the layer to an EVOH plate improved as the thickness of the L–Ap layer decreased from 10 to 3 µm. From these results, it is suggested that a 3 µm thick L–Ap layer is better than a 10 µm thick L–Ap layer on an EVOH surface, and the resulting laminin–apatite–EVOH composite should not be dried when used as a material for percutaneous devices, to avoid any possible adverse effect of drying on the mechanical properties.