ePTFE functionalization for medical applications

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a ubiquitous material used in implants and medical devices in general due to its high biocompatibility and inertness; blood vessels, heart, jawbone, nose, eyes, or abdominal wall can benefit from its properties in the case of disease or injury. Its expanded version, ePTFE, is an improved version of PTFE with better mechanical properties, which extend its medical applications. However, ePTFE implants often lack improvement in properties such as antibacterial, antistenosis, or tissue integration properties. Improvements in these properties by several strategies of functionalization for medical purposes are discussed in this review. Covalent and non-covalent bonding are reviewed, including more specifically chemical impregnation, chemical surface modification, autologous vascularization, and cell seeding, which are strategies mainly used for improving the properties of ePTFE and are described in this review. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.