01.11.05
A method of coating a surface with a biocompatible co-polymer film has been granted a patent. The method includes the steps of covering the surface with a solution made of a film-forming polymer component and a hydrophobic polymer block component with end groups reactive with the film-forming polymer component. The components are dissolved in a solvent and the film-forming polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, polyolefins, cellulosic polymers, polycarbonates, polyarylethersulfones, polysulfones, polyvinylchlorides and polyamides. The hydrophobic polymer block is selected from the group consisting of siloxane polymers, fluoropolymers, polyethyleneglycol-polydimethyl siloxane co-polymers, silicone polyesters and polylactone-polysiloxane-polylactone triblock co-polymers. The next step is to remove the solvent from the solution covering the surface to allow the components to react with one another. A co-polymer film has a non-uniform surface characterized by domains of varied properties of hydrophobicity, roughness, hardness or other physico-chemically distinct patches. The domains have average diameters in the range of 0.1 nm-100 nm formed on the surface.