Properties of Blood Compatible Crosslinked Blends of Pellethene(R)/Multiblock Polyurethanes Containing Phospholipid Moiety/C-18 Alkyl Chain

To improve the mechanical properties, dimensional stability and blood compatibility, the biomedical material Pellethene® was blended with multiblock polyurethane (MPU) containing phospopholipid/long alkyl chain (C-18) at the various MPU contents and crosslinked using dicumyl peroxide as a crosslinking agent. The maximum MPU content for stable Pellethene®/MPU blended films was approximately 30 wt%. The optimum crosslinking agent content and crosslinking time with respect to the mechanical properties were 4 wt% and 3 h, respectively. The mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation at break) and water absorption of the crosslinked blend film increased with increasing MPU content. The test of platelet adhesion on the surfaces of the crosslinked blend film showed a decrease in the level of platelet adhesion from 70% to 6% with increasing MPU content from 0 to 30 wt%. These results suggest that the crosslinked Pellethene®/MPU-30 (MPU content: 30 wt%) sample has strong potential as a novel material for blood compatible material applications.