Anti-Bioadhesion on Hierarchically Structured, Superhydrophobic Surfaces

We have successfully prepared hierarchically structured, superhydrophobic surfaces, with single-, dual-, and triple-scale roughness, via a layer-by-layer (LbL) particle deposition approach. The dual-/triple-scale structured surfaces demonstrated more pronounced water repellency than their single-scale counterpart. These superhydrophobic surfaces, especially the triple-scale structured surface, exhibited significantly reduced protein adsorption. The superhydrophobic surfaces can also markedly reduce platelet adhesion and activation, in particular, platelet adhesion was completely suppressed on the triple-scale structured surface. By synergistically tuning surface chemistry and topography, the hierarchically structured surfaces may become an attractive platform for a range of biomedical applications.