Blood compatibility and adhesion of collagen/heparin multilayers coated on two titanium surfaces by a layer-by-layer technique

• Coated substrates' platelet-adhesion tests revealed a possible thrombus suppression.
• Hemolysis of coated substrates was reduced mainly by substrate's original morphology.
• Two coated substrates' hemolysis ratios were reduced by nearly the same percentages.
• Adhesion strength of multilayers was proportional to their thicknesses.

This paper investigates the blood compatibility and adhesion of collagen/heparin multilayers coated on cp-Ti substrates with a layer-by-layer self-assembly technique. Two surface polishing processes were used for the titanium samples: one was mechanical polishing (MP) and the other, electropolishing (EP). These samples were pretreated by being immersed in NaOH solution to obtain a negatively charged surface with hydroxyl groups and then positively charged in poly-l-lysine solution. The repeated treatment of the samples by applying heparin and collagen alternately determined the number and thickness of the multilayers. The surface topography, chemical composition, and hydrophilicity of the films were investigated by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and water contact angle measurement. The study of the adhesion of the multilayer was conducted by a nano-scratch test. The blood compatibility was evaluated by measuring the hemolysis ratio and platelet-covered area in vitro. The uncoated titanium surface was used as the benchmark. The results indicated that the anticoagulation performance of collagen/heparin multilayers on the titanium surface was superior to that of the uncoated titanium surface. The hemolysis ratios of samples with an EP Ti substrate, a relatively rougher one, were essentially lower than those of samples with an MP substrate. The increase in the multilayers' thickness enhanced their adhesion to the Ti substrate.