Modulation of biocompatibility on poly(vinylidene fluoride) and polysulfone by oxygen plasma treatment and dopamine coating

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and polysulfone (PSf) are two polymers with excellent mechanical properties but insufficient biocompatibility mainly due to their surface hydrophobicity. This study has applied oxygen plasma treatments and dopamine coating on the two polymers and investigated the changes of the surface properties and interactions with mammalian cells. All modification steps were verified by means of Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis and contact angle measurements. Surface topology of materials and biomolecules was studied by atomic force measurements (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Protein adsorption was quantified by fluorescent imaging and Bradford method. The results showed that O₂ plasma altered the surface hydrophilicity effectively on PSf and more than two folds of oxidation were obtained, when compared with the pristine one. The change of surface wettability was less significant on the O₂ plasma treated PVDF due to less oxidation extent, which was identified by analyzing the chemical compositions. The provided functionalized PVDF and PSf surfaces were tested with bovine serum albumin and L-929 mouse fibroblasts to evaluate the effects of surface modifications on protein adsorption and cell attachments. The biocompatibility was effectively promoted to fourfold and twofold on the hydrophobic PVDF and PSf by applying O₂ plasma treatments within short treatment time. Moreover, the simple immobilization of polymers in dopamine solution resulted in hydrophilic surface coating with stability that caused threefold and twofold increases of biocompatibility on PVDF and PSf correspondingly.