Bartlett, Kevin, authorPopat, Ketul C., advisorKota, Arun, committee memberReynolds, Melissa, committee member2017-09-142017-09-142017https://hdl.handle.net/10217/184020Hemocompatibility and bacterial infections cause challenges for medical devices. When any material is implanted into the body bacteria, blood, proteins and platelets will adsorb and attach to its surface. The platelet adsorption leads to thrombosis and clot formation on the surfaces, restricting blood flow and in some cases leading to inflammation and device failure. Bacteria adhesion leads to colony formation and eventually infection if left untreated. Infections can be treated with antibiotics, but growing antibiotic resistance among bacteria has spurred a search for methods that reduce infections without increasing resistance. Proposed methods have included diamond-like carbon surfaces, drug-eluting surfaces, and titania nanotube arrays. These methods have all shown some initial improved, but no approach has proven durable over long periods of time. Superhemophobic surfaces are a new approach to improving performance of medical devices, but the interactions of blood components and bacteria with these surfaces have not been well-documented. In this work, superhemophobic surfaces were developed by modifying the surface topography and surface chemistry of titanium. The surface topography was modified by creating titania nanotube arrays through a well-documented anodization and chemical etching technique. Superhemophobicity was induced by modifying the titania nanotube arrays with different silanes using chemical vapor deposition. The investigations of blood interactions with superhemophobic surfaces showed reduced protein adsorption. The bacteria adhesion studies showed reduced attachment for both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The results indicate these surfaces have potential for enhancing material hemocompatibility and reducing the attachment of bacteria.born digitalmasters thesesengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.bloodnanotubetitaniumhemocompatibilitybacteriasuperhydrophobicText