No platelet can adhere - Largely improved blood compatibility on nanostructured superhydrophobic surfaces

A novel strategy to improve blood compatibility of various ordinary biomaterials, by simply introducing special nanostructures to give them superhydrophobicity, is presented. These nanostructured superhydrophobic films have excellent anti-adhesion to platelets, and even if some platelets are occasionally attached, further activation and subsequent deformation and spreading can be avoided. This anti-adhesion to platelets and the relatively low platelet activation in comparison with the ordinary smooth films, indicate that thrombosis can be efficiently prevented on the nanostructured superhydrophobic films. The outstanding blood compatibility of such materials make these films good candidates for successful utilization in artificial organ implantation, manmade blood vessels, and other blood-contacting medical devices. The superhydrophobicity of these materials make these materials suitable in extracorporeal medical devices, by making the device free of contamination and easy to clean.