Surface wettability and strong adhesion of medical polyurethane elastomer porous films by microphase separation

Abstract

Inspired by geckos and parthenocissus tricuspidata, bionic high-adhesive materials have attracted great attention in the fields of environmental protection, biomedicine and intelligent control. The key is how to select appropriate materials and preparation methods to design materials with strong adhesion similar to the geckos. In this paper, the polyurethane elastomer (PUE) porous films with medical grade were successfully prepared by microphase separation method, and the microstructure, surface wettability and adhesion were investigated. It was found that the growth parameters (such as relative humidity, concentration and curing time) had important effects on the microstructure and morphology of PUE films. After modification with 1-dodecanethiol, the contact angle on the surface of the PUE film increased from the pre-modification value of 80° to 165°, but the corresponding rolling angle remained constant. The honeycomb PUE porous films have specially strong adhesion similar to geckos and parthenocissus tricuspidata, which will be expected to apply to the medical domain such as used as the external plaster to ensure adequate contact with skin and also prevent the evaporation of drugs and water.