Improving the blood compatibility of polyurethane using carbon nanotubes as fillers and its implications to cardiovascular surgery

Blood compatibility has been an occlusion for biomaterials used in the cardiovascular system. In this work, a multiwalled carbon nanotubes-polyurethane composite (MWNT-PU) was prepared through a controlled co-precipitation. The surface chemical composition of treated carbon nanotubes was analyzed with XPS and the thermal behaviors of composite were characterized by DSC. The platelet adhesion and activation caused by the composite were evaluated by using SEM and flow cytometric analysis, respectively, and the disruption of red blood cells was analyzed through measuring the absorbance of free hemoglobin. The experimental results demonstrated that: (1) Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) with oxygen-containing functional groups could be well dispersed in polyurethane matrix through a controlled coprecipitation; (2) the composite surface displayed a significantly improved anticoagulant function, which can be indicative of the promising potentials of carbon nanotube-based materials in the implants and medical devices applied in blood-contacting environments. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.