the manufacturing process used to develop the biomaterials in accordance with the present invention is based upon reverse phase polymerization . an exemplary process is described within u . s . pat . no . 4 , 000 , 218 to critchfield et al . issued dec . 28 , 1976 . reversed phase polymerization has been shown to produce polymers in particulate form and in high purity as required for use in medical devices . as part of the process , it is necessary to use and / or synthesize interfacial agents specifically suited for the system . the interfacial agent generally includes a diol terminated polymer chain having at least one reactive site within the chain . in accordance with a further aspect of the invention , the interfacial agent may be modified to incorporate a zwitterionic moiety such as an amino acid or phosporylcholine and derivatives thereof . an aliphatic species , preferably a saturated hydrocarbon , is chemically bonded to the reactive site . in this manner , the interfacial agent possesses a hydrophilic domain which may be incorporated within the bulk polyurethane base polymer while also having a hydrophobic tail extending outwardly from the base polymer . as a result , when the reaction materials ( i . e . the polyurethane precursors , such as methylene diphenyl diisocyanate and an organic diol , and the interfacial agent ) are placed within an aprotic solvent such as hexane , benzene or toluene , reverse micelles are formed . as a result , these interfacial agents serve a dual purpose : a ) to suspend particles in process in the aprotic solvent and b ) to modify the surface characteristics of the resultant polyurethane material . for example , as shown in fig1 , medical device 10 ( such as a urinary catheter ) is generally comprised of a base polymer 20 . in accordance with an aspect of the present invention , base polymer 20 is a polyurethane composed of polymerized diisocyanate / diol . the diisocyanate has a general formula o ═ c ═ n — r — n ═ c ═ o , where r is either an aliphatic chain , such as hexamethylene diisocyanate ( hdi ), or is aromatic such as toluene diisocyanate ( tdi ) or methylene diphenyl diisocyanate ( mdi ). the diol may be a siloxane diol or an organic diol , such as but not limited to polyethylene glycol ( peg ), tetraethylene glycol , 1 , 4 - butane diol , a lactone diol such as poly ( caprolactone ) diol or a polycarbonate diol . to monitor the progression of the polyurethane reaction , fourier transform infrared ( ftir ) spectroscopy may be used to interrogate isocyanate consumption . consumption of the isocyanate groups indicates extension of the polymer backbone and the attachment of graft pre - polymers ( discussed below ). the isocyanate may also be monitored since specific amounts of unreacted isocyanate groups may be desired to remain on the polymer in order to improve adhesion between the substrate ( i . e . medical device 10 ) and a coating later of the biomaterial of the present invention . alternatively , unreacted isocyanate groups may also be further derivatized following the polyurethane formation reaction by quenching the reaction with a solution containing one or more zwitter ions such as amino acids or amino acid analogs . in this manner , the polyurethane backbone may be modified to increase its biocompatibility and / or increase its functionality via the additional reaction site on the zwitter ion . an overlay of exemplary ftir spectra tracking polyurethane reaction progression is shown in fig2 . in accordance with an aspect of the present invention , partially embedded within base polymer 20 are one or more surface active agents 30 ( see also fig3 ). surface active agents 30 may be covalently bonded to the diol backbone of the polyurethane base polymer 20 . alternatively and / or additionally , surface active agents 30 may also be incorporated within the base polymer 20 via a graft pre - polymer 32 ( see also fig4 ) which will be discussed in greater detail below . in one aspect of the invention , surface active agents 30 are tailored to provide surface properties required for long term implants , such as catheters or other devices where long - term biocompatibility is desired . base polymer 20 exhibits the microstructure ( hard - soft segments 26 - 28 , fig3 ) well known in polyurethanes . this microstructure is arranged in such a way so as to induce a synergistic effect with the surface active agent 30 . the micro - domains present within the base polymer 20 play a role in both the mechanical and surface properties of the final devices . these domains are dictated by the feed composition in the polymer synthesis and manipulated by the thermal history and ultimate manufacturing technique employed when fabricating the polyurethane polymer . surface active agents 30 may be incorporated within the polyurethane base polymer 20 during polymerization of the polyurethane or may be later reactively added through suitable chemical reactions to functional groups located on the base polymer 20 . for example , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 383 , 351 to stamberger issued may 14 , 1968 , discloses a pre - polymer grafting polymerization pre - processing step before the polyurethane polymerization reaction . that is , in accordance with an aspect of the present invention , the diol grafted pre - polymer 32 employed within the polyurethane polymerization has been pre - processed so as to become derivatized to either include the surface active agent 30 or to include a reactive site for later functionalization of the polyurethane base polymer 20 ( see fig4 ). the grafted pre - polymer 32 also allows for compositional control of the polyurethane base polymer which further modifies both the base polymer 20 and the surface properties of the surface active agents 30 . with continued reference to fig3 , surface active agents 30 a - 30 c may be unsaturated monomers covalently integrated within backbone 34 of pre - polymer 32 . examples of such surface active agents may include charged monomers such as methacrylic acid 30 a and vinyl sulfonic acid 30 c , and an anti - adhesive fluorinated monomer 30 b such as 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl methacrylate . additional surface active agents may include , without limitation , aliphatic methacrylates , fluoromethacrylates , sulfonium salts , vinyl monomers with phenol or benzoic acid , n - vinyl pyrrolidone , a zwitterionic monomer such as but not limited to an amino acid , phosphorycholine and the like , and functionalized aminoglucosides . the grafted pre - polymer creates a mixed - phase polymeric structure enabling the fine tuning of the surface properties of medical device 10 . in one aspect of the present invention wherein medical device 10 is fabricated directly from the mixed - phase biomaterial , the bulk properties of medical device 10 are dictated by the polyurethane structure of base polymer 20 and include both rheological properties and micro - domains within the polymer . tuning of the polyurethane reaction materials and synthesis produces bulk polymers suitable for melt processing into tubing and other shapes , as well as for the application of coatings from appropriate solvents . in a further aspect of the present invention , the mixed - phase biomaterial may be surface coated onto a pre - fabricated medical device , such as already commercially available urinary catheters . in either case , the local surface characteristics of the medical device may be modified according to the proposed end - use of the medical device and may include anti - adhesive and / or anti - microbial properties , or may include covalently bonded therapeutic agents for site specific and / or time released application . derivatization of the surface may be through complimentary functional groups on the polyurethane polymer main chain or through the grafted pre - polymers . for instance , antimicrobial polymers may be produced by attaching or inserting an active microbial agent onto either the polyurethane or a graft pre - polymer backbone via an alkyl or acetyl linker . in accordance with one aspect of the present invention , graft pre - polymer 32 is specifically chosen for its enhanced antimicrobial properties . examples of such antimicrobial moieties include , but are not limited to vinyl monomers with phenol or benzoic acid , functionalized aminoglucosides , charged monomers such as methacrylic acid , vinyl sulfonic acid , and sulfonium salts , and fluorinated monomers . in accordance with a further aspect of the present invention , the mixed - phase biomaterial may reduce bacterial adhesion due to the biomaterial &# 39 ; s non - uniform and self - adjusting surface which is non - conducive for bacterial attachment since bacteria prefer unchanging and predictable surfaces when forming biofilms . the polymers synthesized using an embodiment of the manufacturing process of the present invention have non - uniform and dynamic surface chemistries due to variation of the material &# 39 ; s surface composition from the graft pre - polymers 32 . graft pre - polymers 32 also create hydrophillic / hydrophobic and positively / negatively charged microdomains within the resultant biomaterial . the material &# 39 ; s composition and micro - domains are dictated by the feed composition , solvent , reaction conditions , and post - treatment procedures such as thermal annealing and washing . by way of example , x - ray photoelectron spectroscopy ( xps ), such as the results shown in fig5 for a mixed - phase material including graft pre - polymers having silicon and fluorine substituted methacrylates , may verify that heat treatment at 80 ° c . for three hours can alter the surface chemistry so that the fluorine and silicon groups of the representative material no longer appear on the surface . the self - adjusting nature of the biomaterial surface may also be demonstrated by its ability to be dissolved in both hydrocarbon and aprotic polar solvents . limited solubility of the biomaterial is seen in alcohols and the biomaterial is not soluble in water , although slight surface hydration is seen because of the dynamic nature of the surface . information on miscibility and polymer - to - polymer interactions can be revealed through the use of differential scanning calorimetry ( dsc ). as seen in fig6 a , a representative biomaterial consists of multiple phases due to graft pre - polymer ( side - chain ) composition . the graft pre - polymer influences the biomaterial &# 39 ; s final properties . as can be seen in fig6 a , the representative biomaterial includes one or more components ( such as graft pre - polymers and / or surface active agents ) which are thermo - responsive and lead to multiple phase transitions . it can be seen that one phase transition is at or near body temperature ( 37 ° c . ), which decreases the surface modulus and contributes to the biomaterial &# 39 ; s self - adjusting surface properties at a biologically relevant temperature . as a comparison , fig6 b shows an ungrafted polymer , which contains only a single phase transition . an example of the improved bacterial anti - adhesion properties of the biomaterials of the present invention over commercial catheters is shown in fig7 . commercial catheters , with and without biomaterial coatings , were placed into a suspension of staphylococcus aureus bacteria for 24 hours . after staining and removing the bacteria on the catheters , the bacteria were quantified using ultra - violet spectroscopy . the number of bacteria counted was averaged over 5 samples of each catheter type ( whether with or without a biomaterial coating ). fig7 shows that an exemplary biomaterial coating produced in accordance with the present invention exhibits a 33 % reduction in bacterial adhesion compared to an uncoated commercially available catheter . the following examples are illustrative of the present invention and not to be regarded as limitative thereto . in a reaction vessel , hydroxyethyl methacrylate , 1 . 0 g , caprolactone , 60 g , and 0 . 1 g stannous octoate were added and mixed until homogeneous . the solution was heated to 82 ° c . overnight ( 16 - 24 hours ). this resulted in a waxy solid . in a reaction vessel , tetraethylene glycol , 1 . 0 g , caprolactone , 60 g and 0 . 1 g stannous octoate were added and mixed until homogeneous . the solution was heated to 82 ° c . overnight ( 16 - 24 hours ). this resulted in a waxy solid . component amount ( g ) peg - 1000 150 n - vinyl pyrrolidone 1 . 0 methyl methacrylate 10 lauryl methacrylate 7 . 9 tris 2 . 1 benzoyl peroxide 0 . 12 the solution was heated from 70 ° c . to 100 ° c . while mixing with an overhead mechanical agitator . after 3 hours the solution was cooled and 20 g of dimethyl acetamide was added to decrease viscosity of the polymer solution . component amount ( g ) peg - 1000 90 n - vinyl pyrrolidone 2 . 8 methyl methacrylate 4 . 0 methacrylic acid 1 . 0 lauryl methacrylate 2 . 0 tris 3 . 1 benzoyl peroxide 0 . 04 the solution was heated at 70 ° c . for 48 hours . a viscous solution was recovered . component amount ( g ) peg - 1000 90 n - vinyl pyrrolidone 1 . 0 methyl methacrylate 2 . 0 tetrafluoroethyl methacrylate 1 . 65 lauryl methacrylate 2 . 0 tris 5 . 0 aibn 0 . 024 the solution was heated at 70 ° c . for 48 hours in a mechanical convection oven . a viscous solution was recovered which formed into a waxy solid at room temperature . component amount ( g ) peg - 1000 90 n - vinyl pyrrolidone 2 . 8 methyl methacrylate 1 . 0 isobornyl methacrylate 3 . 0 methacrylic acid 1 . 0 lauryl methacrylate 2 . 0 tris 3 . 1 benzoyl peroxide 0 . 04 the solution was heated at 70 ° c . for 48 hours in a mechanical convection oven . a viscous solution was recovered which formed into a waxy solid at room temperature . the solution was heated at 70 ° c . for 48 hours in a mechanical convection oven . a viscous solution was recovered . interfacial agent is used in polyurethane reactions where polycaprolactone diols are used in aprotic hydrocarbon solvent systems . the solution was heated at 70 ° c . for 48 hours in a mechanical convection oven . a viscous solution was recovered . interfacial agent is used in polyurethane reactions where polycaprolactone diols are used in aprotic hydrocarbon solvent systems . toluene , 200 g was added to a jacketed reaction vessel equipped with overhead mechanical agitator . brij s100 strearyl 10 g was added and mixed thoroughly . once solubilized 26 . 2 g tetraethylene glycol , 3 . 3 g butane diol and 131 . 1 g of polymer graft from example 3 were added . methyl diphenyl diisocyanate ( mdi ) was melted and added to 30 g of toluene . the mdi solution was added to the reactor at room temperature under agitation and mixed until exotherm was exhausted . the solution was then heated to 80 ° c . for 2 hours until the viscosity reached 25 cps @ 50 ° c . as measured by a cone & amp ; plate brookfield viscometer . the material was recovered by precipitation into hexane . as shown in fig8 , the material exhibited multiple phase transitions as measured by differential scanning calorimetry . toluene , 130 g was added to a jacketed reaction vessel equipped with overhead mechanical agitator . brij s100 strearyl 7 . 2 g was added and mixed thoroughly . once solubilized , 2 . 4 g butane diol and 90 g of polymer graft from example 5 were added . methyl diphenyl diisocyanate ( mdi ) 30 g was melted and was added to the reactor at room temperature under agitation . it was mixed until exotherm was exhausted . the solution was then heated to 90 ° c . for 2 hours until the viscosity reached 45 cps @ 50 ° c . as measured by a cone & amp ; plate brookfield viscometer . the material was recovered by precipitation into hexane . in a reaction vessel , hydroxyethyl methacrylate , 1 . 0 g , dimethyl carbonate , 10 g tetraethylene glycol ( teg ), 10 g and 0 . 1 g potassium carbonate were added and mixed until homogeneous . the solution was heated to 85 ° c . overnight ( 16 - 24 hours ) followed by 3 - 4 hours at 140 ° c . at which point the polymer was recovered . the preferred molecular weight of the methacrylate end - capped polycarbonate polymer was in the range of 1000 to 5000 . alternately a peg of 1000 mw may be used instead of teg to obtain higher mw functionalized diols . in a reaction vessel , dimethyl carbonate , 10 g tetraethylene glycol ( teg ), 10 g and 0 . 1 g potassium carbonate were added and mixed until homogeneous . the solution was heated to 85 ° c . overnight ( 16 - 24 hours ) followed by 3 - 4 hours at 140 ° c . at which point the polymeric diol was recovered . the preferred molecular weight of the diol was in the range of 1000 to 5000 . alternately a peg of 1000 mw may be used instead of teg to obtain higher mw diols . toluene , 130 g was added to a jacketed reaction vessel equipped with overhead mechanical agitator . brij s100 strearyl 7 . 2 g was added and mixed thoroughly . once solubilized , 2 . 4 g butane diol and 90 g of diol from example 11 were added . methyl diphenyl diisocyanate ( mdi ) 30 g was melted and was added to the reactor at room temperature under agitation . it was mixed until exotherm was exhausted . the solution was then heated to 90 ° c . for 2 hours until the viscosity was above 50 cps @ 50 ° c . as measured by a cone & amp ; plate brookfield viscometer . the material was recovered by precipitation into hexane . although the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it is understood that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the full spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims which follow .
a method of preparing a mixed - phase thermoplastic biomaterial comprises contacting and reacting a diol and a graft pre - polymer comprising a diol and at least one covalently bonded unsaturated monomer with an organic diisocyanate compound . the reaction is conducted within an aprotic solvent and for a period of time and at a temperature sufficient to produce the mixed - phase thermoplastic biomaterial . the diol may be selected from the group consisting of siloxane diols , polyether diols , polyester diols and polycarbonate diols while the at least one covalently bonded unsaturated monomer may be selected from the group consisting of a fluorinated monomer , a siloxane monomer , an aliphatic ester of methacrylic acid , a cyclic ester of methacrylic acid , a charged monomer , a sulfonium salt , a vinyl monomer with phenol or benzoic acid , n - vinyl pyrrolidone , an aminoglucoside , and a therapeutic agent . the mixed - phase thermoplastic biomaterial may further include an anti - microbial , a therapeutic agent or both .