Bio-inspired surface modification of PET for cardiovascular applications: Case study of gelatin

• We showed a comparison study between physical and chemical bonded gelatin on PET.
• Synergetic effect of plasma treatment and dopamine deposition on roughness was proven.
• Homogeneous gelatin coatings were obtained via dopamine surface activation of PET.
• Haemocompatibility depends on gelatin conformation and coating homogeneity.
• Optimization process to fine tune surface properties of PET for cardiovascular uses.

An aqueous-based bio-inspired approach was applied to chemically bind a bio compatible and cell-interactive gelatin layer on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) for cardiovascular applications. The protein layer was immobilized after an initial surface activation via a dopamine coating. The individual and synergetic effect of the dopamine deposition procedure and the substrate nature (pristine versus plasma-treated) was investigated via XPS, AFM, SEM and contact angle measurements. Dependent on the applied parameters, the post dopamine coating presented various surface roughnesses ranging between 96 nm and 210 nm. Subsequent gelatin immobilization mostly induced a smoothening effect, but the synergetic influence of the deposition protocol and plasma treatment resulted in different gelatin conformations. In addition, a comprehensive comparative study between chemically-modified (via dopamine) and physically-modified (physisorption) PET with gelatin was developed within the present study. All investigated samples were submitted to preliminary haemocompatibility tests, which clearly indicated the direct link between blood platelet behaviour and final protein arrangement.

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