Design of anticoagulant surfaces based on cellulose nanocrystalsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Detailed experimental procedures, atomic force microscopy, viscoelastic properties of the films. See DOI: 10.1039/c4cc05254d

The anticoagulant activity of surfaces decorated with cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) prepared via sulfuric acid hydrolysis, is explored. Such surfaces bear a high amount of negatively charged sulfate groups, which mimic the naturally occurring anticoagulant heparin in terms of charge density. It is demonstrated that CNC decorated surfaces significantly enhance the coagulation times of blood plasma and whole blood as proven by QCM-D and simple clotting tests. The anticoagulant activity of surfaces decorated with cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) prepared via sulfuric acid hydrolysis, is explored.