ABSTRACT

Polymers, as a result of their desirable physical properties, are of great interest for various applications such as food packaging, automobiles, biomedical applications, etc. [1]. They are widely used as biomaterials and find specific applications

in orthopedic implant, cardiac implant, dental implant, soft tissue implant, biosensors and biomedical devices [2]. Nevertheless, problems with respect to suitable surface properties of these materials limit their biomedical applications. Indeed, the hydrophobic nature of many polymeric surfaces limits their adhesion property. Surface properties such as surface energy, surface chemistry, surface topography, surface charges, crystallinity and water content in the surface layer are the factors that greatly influence the interaction between the biological environment and artificial materials [3-7]. Among the above-mentioned surface properties, the surface energy of the biomaterials plays an important role in protein adsorption, adhesion and spreading of cells and platelets. Due to the complex nature of adsorbed proteins, even small changes in surface energy produce remarkable changes in the biological response toward the surface [8]. Biocompatibility of polymers is influenced by various physical and chemical properties. When a synthetic material interacts with biological environment, proteins are adsorbed on its surface via hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. Depending on the surface chemistry, non-adhesive proteins like albumin or adhesive proteins like fibronectin are adsorbed on the surface. Besides, surface chemistry influences the properties associated with an adsorbed protein such as its bond strength, conformation, exchange and restructuring.