Hemocompatibility and anti-biofouling property improvement of poly(ethylene terephthalate) via self-polymerization of dopamine and covalent graft of lysine

Inspired by the composition of adhesive proteins in mussels, we used self-polymerized dopamine to form a thin and surface-adherent polydopamine layer onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) sheet, followed by covalently grafting lysine (Lys) to improve hemocompatibility and anti-biofouling property. The obtained surfaces were characterized by water contact angle measurements, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The results of platelet adhesion and protein adsorption tests showed that Lys-immobilized PET was endowed with improved resistance to nonspecific protein adsorption and platelet adhesion. Cell assay results showed that PET-g-Lys surface could greatly inhibit NIH 3T3 cell adhesion. These works provide a facile hemocompatible and anti-fouling surface for biomedical applications.