ABSTRACT
The production of polymeric materials is one of the world’s major industries. Polymers are utilized in many applications because of their processability, ease of manufacture, and diverse range of properties. Many of the commonest polymers such as polyethylene, polystyrene, and polytetra‘uoroethylene (PTFE) are highly hydrophobic materials rendering them unsuitable for many biomedical applications. For applications that require contact with body ‘uids such as blood or urine, it is necessary for the materials to be hydrophilic and to be capable of maintaining intimate contact with the ‘uid in question for prolonged periods of time without signiŠcant loss of functional performance.
