Minimally adhesive polymer surface

Our interest in the formation of minimally adhesive polymer surfaces has led us to an investigation of poly(urethane-ureas) containing unusual diols. Our goal is to discern the compositional and morphological features which create a surface minimally attractive to the settlement of marine organisms, an area pioneered by Griffith, et al.(l)... 

It has been found that the polymer surface having appropriately grafted nonionic, water-soluble polymer chains minimizes protein adsorption and cell adhesion. It should be noted that such minimum protein adsorption has been well known for a long time for hydrogels used for protein analysis such as polyacrylamine (PAAm) gel for electrophoresis, sephadex for protein gel filtration, and soft agar for cell culture. It is likely that the surface structure of these hydrogels resembles that of the grafted surface described above. 

Akhremitchev et al. presented a set-up based on the same principle, namely 1R s-SNOM with a side-illuminated AFM tip, and employed it to characterize nano-structured polymer blends that were used as minimally adhesive surface coatings to prevent biofouHng [57, 58]. Raschke ct al. used sharp Au-coated, forward-pointing ( nose-type ) AFM probes with a radius of 10-15 nm, and obtained fixed-... 

In comparison with metals, most conventional polymers are low in wear resistance. For wear control, we need to understand various wear mechanisms for each polymer system (V). As discussed in a previous paper, for adhesive wear, surface energetics can determine the extent of surface wear. Thus, a low surface energy is preferred to minimize the surface attrition. In addition, a harder polymer is desired to lower the wear rate. For abrasive wear, fracture energetics become important a harder and tougher material should be more wear resistant. 

Low molecular cationic polymers or alum can also be used to flocculate pitch, ie, bind up the pitch so that it is retained in the sheet, to minimize pitch deposition on machine surfaces and fabrics (35,36). Alum is used commonly in newsprint operations (34). The addition of a nonionic surfactant with a hydrocarbon solvent to the wet end has shown some utility in preventing deposits of adhesive recycled furnish contaminants from forming on the paper... 

Polymer-based pH sensors are not suitable for continuous in-vivo measurements due to the poor biocompatibility of plasticizers used in the polymer membrane. To minimize such a problem, surface treatment or using a reduced amount of plasticizers has been proposed [71]. In order to improve stability and adhesion, polyurethane has been used as an alternative to PVC membranes in the construction of pH sensing membranes [72, 73],... 

Hydrophobic polymer materials that slowly release N O can be used on the surface of medical devices. Many medical devices suffer from the surface adhesion of blood platelets. To minimize this thrombogenic effect, blood thinners such as heparin, coumarin, and aspirin are often used. However, systemic administration of antiplatelet agents could increase the risk of uncontrolled bleeding elsewhere in the body. In contrast, biocompatible polymer films would solve this problem [153]. It is possible to create polymeric surfaces that mimic the inner surface of a blood vessel by... 

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