Formation of Balloon with Porous Structures in NaCl Vapor Assisted by Amphiphilic Polymer for Stent Delivery System

Abstract

Recently, bioabsorbable vascular stents (BVSs) are actively studied owing to their ability to dissolve within the human body. However, despite their advantages, BVSs often dislodge from the expandable balloon‐based delivery system when transported to the lesion site. In this study, a novel methodology aiming at increasing the retention force between the stent and the delivery system is presented. The breath‐figure method is adopted to form a porous structure and enhance adhesion. Additionally, numerical and experimental methods are used to evaluate the effect of surface tension between two immiscible fluids (polymeric solutions and droplets). To control the interfacial tension between the solution and droplets, an amphiphilic polymer and NaCl‐added vapor are used. By selecting the appropriate parameters, a sponge‐like structure is prepared on the stent delivery system. To verify its applicability, the two types of structures presented in this study are experimentally compared. These findings provide valuable guidelines for understanding the mechanism of breath‐figure patterns. Thus, the innovative methodology developed in this study demonstrates simplicity and scalability for large‐area production, making it potentially applicable to industrial technologies and offering new insights into biomedical engineering.