Bioinspired Self-Adhesive Lubricated Coating for the Surface Functionalization of Implanted Biomedical Devices

The lubrication property of implanted biomedical devices is of great significance as it affects the clinical performance owing to direct contact with soft tissues. In the present study, a bioinspired copolymer with dual functions of both self-adhesion and lubrication was synthesized with N-(3-aminopropyl) methacrylamide hydrochloride, gallic acid, and 3-[dimethyl-[2-(2-methylprop-2-enoyloxy) ethyl] azaniumyl] propane-1-sulfonate by free radical polymerization and a carbodiimide coupling reaction. The copolymer was further modified on the surface of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) samples using a simple dip-coating method and was characterized by different evaluations including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, the water contact angle, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, optical interferometry, and atomic force microscopy. Additionally, the results of a series of tribological tests at the microscopic level demonstrated that the friction coefficient of the copolymer-coated PVC samples was significantly reduced compared to that of the bare PVC samples. Furthermore, the pull out test at the macroscopic level was performed using copolymer-coated PVC catheters on a poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based test rig, and the result showed that the copolymer-coated PVC catheters were endowed with a greatly decreased and much more stable pull out force compared with that of the bare PVC catheters. In conclusion, the bioinspired self-adhesive lubricated coating developed herein may be applied as a universal and versatile method to enhance the lubrication performance of implanted biomedical devices.