Toward Novel Polymer-Based Materials Inspired in Blood Clotting

Blood clotting provides a beautiful playground to explore polymer-based materials used in natural self-healing scaffolds with applications in multiple highly sought-after areas that include rheological modifiers, self-healing materials, and targeted drug delivery. In this Perspective we present an overview of blood clotting with particular emphasis on the dynamics of biopolymers involved during the first stages of the clotting cascade. We cover from single molecule dynamics in multiple types of flows to complete plug assembly. Different interaction models between monomers and between monomers and platelets/colloids are considered. The many-body polymer and colloid dynamics during the assembly of blood-clotting scaffolds is discussed in detail. Throughout this Perspective insights and connections between the natural system and synthetic systems are highlighted. We finalize by presenting a list of emerging areas inspired by the clotting process. These emerging areas not only present new and interesting scientific challenges but also offer the possibility of controlling and tailoring the properties of polymer systems in novel ways.