Today’s increasingly sophisticated medical devices demand that manufacturers develop next generation materials, specialized coatings, and leading-edge surface treatments to deliver up-to-date solutions. Two keys to successful device creation are knowing if materials are compatible with the body and if a device’s components will bond together. Surface science sheds light on certain properties to help interpret and precisely control these behaviors, allowing OEMs to innovate with confidence. In this issue of Ask the Experts, KRÜSS Technical Consultant, Aleksey Baldygin, respond to questions about how surface science is leading the way in medical device advancements.

MedTech Intelligence: What can KRÜSS do to help medical device manufacturers?

Aleksey Baldygin, Ph.D.: When patient outcomes are at stake, failure is not an option. Medical devices come in close contact with our lives. The well-being of patients depends on the outcome of their operations and companies’ reputations are on the line as our bodies interact with foreign products in-situ. Measuring surface properties with KRÜSS instruments helps to answer questions about potential biocompatibility and offers a complete picture of the quality of the device before being packaged and shipped out. Experimental data helps to narrow down to a few potential release candidates and avoid unnecessary loss of time and money doing experiments using outdated methods.

See how drop shape analysis comprehensively evaluates solids and liquids to modify and optimize surfaces.

MTI: Can you create a bond for life?

Baldygin: Understanding environmental conditions and what a system will be exposed to in the future are the starting points to define if having a bond for life is necessary. Not all bonds are the same and requirements can be short- or long-term. Wettability can influence the adhesion properties of bacteria on bio products and having the ability to replace a device with ease is the key. When materials experience properties which are very similar, defining their subtle differences requires testing equipment with reproducibility and repeatability (R&R) not known to the industry in the past. State-of-the-art dosing systems from KRÜSS can help.

Confidence in contact angle measurement data is delivered by the patented Liquid Needle dosing system.

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