Artificial heart: Hydrophobic coating to make it more natural

Polyurethanes are biocompatible materials commonly used in medical applications, mainly as coatings for vascular grafts and artificial hearts. There are many methods to increase hemocompatibility of polyurethane surfaces. Presented study was undertaken to obtain hydrophobic polyurethane coatings by silicone and perfl uorocarbohydrate modification. The aim of this work was to obtain smooth and homogenous coatings, as porous materials are likely to cause blood coagulation. Surface analysis (IR spectroscopy and scanning acoustic microscopy) revealed that the applied method allows to modify polyurethane surface successfully. An increase in material hydrophobicity was confirmed contact angle measurement.