Polydimethylsiloxane-assisted control of platelet attachment for rapid activation

We present the evidence of a direct relationship between surface properties and platelet attachment for rapid activation using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Three different surfaces of one uncoated glass slide and two spin-coated glass slides with two different ratios of PDMS (5:1 and 10:1) were prepared and tested. Prior to the platelet attachment test, nanoscale surface roughness and softness of PDMS, according to the degree of crosslinking, were measured using a compression tester and atomic force microscopy. The surface that encouraged the attachment and activation of platelets was 10:1 PDMS with Young’s modulus of 2.58+0.27 MPa and roughness of 0.477nm. These data show that platelet attachment and activation can be triggered and enhanced through the control of nanoscale surface roughness and softness of PDMS, which is promising for biomedical applications using PDMS.