One of the most commonly used materials for biomedical applications, e.g., in implantology, is titanium oxide in rutile form, considered to be stable, bioactive, and at the same time biocompatible. However, still, the main shortcoming of the blood-contacting biomaterials is the induction of thrombogenic phenomena, i.e., pathologic clot formation, which is dangerous if blood clots detach from a material surface and enter the bloodstream. Clot formation process is governed by the adhesion and activation of platelets. Their behavior is controlled by pre-adsorbed proteins, especially human blood plasma fibrinogen (HPF), and HPF conformation-dependent availability of the specific platelet recognition sites (γ400-411).

We proposed a new possibility to control HPF conformation, and thus platelet adhesion and activation by adjusting the crystallographic orientation of the underlying material surface. This mechanism is driven by the crystallographic orientation-dependent surface energy and wettability. This can contribute to design and development of antithrombogenic titanium-based biomaterials.