A facile technique for fabricating poly (2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) coatings on titanium alloys

Poly (2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) has been widely used for surface modification of titanium (Ti) alloys to improve antifouling properties and blood compatibility. To achieve antifouling and anticoagulant capacities via a facile and efficient technique, PMPC coatings were covalently immobilized on a Ti surface simply by a sequential dip-coating method. The Ti surface was first dipped into hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution to remove surface contaminants and acquire a hydroxyl-enriched surface. Then, the surface was dipped into dopamine solution to acquire the surface bearing –NH 2 groups. N-acryloxysuccinimide solution was used for introduction of double linkage which could graft with PMPC via in situ free-radical polymerization. Thus, the surface modification processes were under mild conditions and easy scale up. The obtained PMPC coatings endowed the Ti surface with smooth finish and relatively high packing density. Water contact angle measurements showed that the hydrophilicity of the Ti surface was markedly improved by coating PMPC with the water contact angle of 6.2°. Furthermore, the PMPC coatings could effectively resist protein adsorption and suppress platelet adhesion and activation. The facile and efficient method of immobilization of PMPC on a Ti surface could be promising for a variety of cardiovascular applications.