Heterogenic materials biocompatibility

This review of the biocompatibility of polymeric surfaces concentrates on the observed differences of hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and heterogenic materials as measured by their interactions with proteins and platelets. Emphasis is placed on materials for use in injection molding applications. 

Solid surfaces are a field of growing interest from both the applied and fundamental points of view. Their quality of being the face of any material, their entrance door, gives them a major importance in applied areas as different as composite materials, corrosion, adsorption, biocompatibility, dyeing and lightfastness of dyes on fabrics, heterogeneous catalysis, among many other applications. 

Despite the ubiquitous presence of polymeric materials in clinics and hospitals, a detailed understanding of how synthetic surfaces interact with biological fluids is still lacking. Detailed herein are some examples of hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and heterogenic surfaces which have been evaluated for biocompatibility. 

In conclusion, synthetic surfaces can be described as hydrophilic, hydrophobic, or heterogenic. For each of these types of surfaces, studies exist which show general trends in the improvement of biocompatibility. However, there is not a single theory or predictive tool that can predict the biocompatibility of a wide range of materials. 

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