Surface properties of polypropylene films as biomaterials

Abstract

Surface properties of polypropylene films were investigated as the preliminary study on the design of blood compatible polyolefin surfaces. It was observed that the surface crystallinity of polypropylene films was well correlated with bulk crystallinity. Smaller contact angles of polypropylene films appeared with higher surface crystallinity, which indicates that crystalline regions have higher surface free energy than amorphous regions on these surfaces. Minimum value in both albumin and fibrinogen adsorption was observed on polypropylene surfaces with a particular surface crystallinity (ca. 50%). The control of surface crystallinity including the size and distribution of crystalline and amorphous regions can dominate the fate of plasma protein adsorption. Thus, it is suggested that surface crystallinity is one of the dominant factors in the design of blood compatible polyolefin surfaces. © 1995, The Society of Polymer Science, Japan. All rights reserved.