Liquid-infused surfaces are a new class of functional materials with exceptional properties that have earned them a place at the forefront of many fields, including anti-biofouling and droplet manipulation. These properties mean they could potentially be used to improve medical devices, such as heart bypass machines.
The Heart Research Institute’s Cardiovascular Medical Devices Group, led by Dr Anna Waterhouse, focuses its research on understanding the interaction of medical devices with patients’ blood, proteins and cells.
“Despite the widespread use of medical devices in cardiovascular medicine, many side effects such as blood clots and biofouling, are promoted by the materials used to make these devices,” says Dr Waterhouse.
