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Hierarchical Self‐Assembly of Poly(Urethane)/Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride‐ co ‐Hexafluoropropylene) Blends into Highly Hydrophobic Electrospun Fibers with Reduced Protein Adsorption Profiles
Author(s) -
Guex Anne Géraldine,
Weidenbacher Lukas,
ManiuraWeber Katharina,
Rossi René Michel,
Fortunato Giuseppino
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.201700081
Subject(s) - materials science , electrospinning , contact angle , membrane , hexafluoropropylene , fiber , adsorption , chemical engineering , polymer , polymer chemistry , fluoride , composite material , copolymer , organic chemistry , chemistry , inorganic chemistry , biochemistry , tetrafluoroethylene , engineering
Electrospinning of blend systems, combining two or more polymers, has gained increasing interest for the fabrication of fibers that combine properties of the individual polymers. Here, a versatile method to produce hydrophobic fibers composed of poly(vinylidene fluoride‐ co ‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDFhfp) and polyurethane (PUR) is presented. PVDFhfp containing fibers are expected to reduce protein adsorption. In a one‐step process, blend solutions are electrospun into homogeneous nonwoven membranes with fiber diameters in the range of 0.6 ± 0.2 to 1.4 ± 0.7 µm. Surface fluorine concentrations measured by X‐ray photospectroscopy show an asymptotic dependency in function of the PVDFhfp to PUR ratio, reaching values close to pure PVDFhfp at a weight per weight ratio of 10% PVDFhfp to 90% PUR. This fluorine enrichment on the surface suggests a gradient structure along the fiber cross‐section. At increased surface fluorine concentration, the contact angle changes from 121 ± 3° (PUR) to 141 ± 4° (PUR/PVDFhfp). Furthermore, these highly hydrophobic fibers present significantly reduced fibrinogen or albumin adsorption compared to PUR membranes.