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Published on: July 9, 2015
Biomimetic anchor for surface-initiated polymerization from metal substrates
Xiaowu Fan1, Lijun Lin, Jeffrey L Dalsin
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|November 10, 2005
Summary
Researchers developed a novel biomimetic initiator for creating antifouling polymer coatings on metal surfaces. This advancement reduces cell adhesion on titanium and stainless steel, paving the way for advanced biomedical applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Surface Chemistry
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Developing effective antifouling surfaces is crucial for biomedical implants and devices to prevent unwanted biological interactions.
- Traditional surface modification methods often lack robust adhesion to metal substrates, limiting coating durability.
- Mussel adhesive proteins offer a natural model for strong, versatile surface anchoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the first use of a catecholic initiator for surface-initiated polymerization (SIP) on metal surfaces.
- To create robust, antifouling polymer coatings with reduced cell adhesion.
- To explore the versatility of this biomimetic approach for surface modification.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of a new bifunctional initiator inspired by mussel adhesive proteins.
- Surface adsorption of the initiator onto titanium (Ti) and 316L stainless steel (SS) substrates.
- Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) using the immobilized initiator to graft methyl methacrylate macromonomers with oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) side chains.
- Characterization using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), surface FT-IR, ellipsometry, and contact angle analysis.
- Cell adhesion studies using 3T3-Swiss albino fibroblasts.
- Micropatterning using SI-ATRP and molecular assembly patterning by lift-off (MAPL).
Main Results:
- The catecholic initiator strongly adsorbed to Ti and 316L SS, enabling polymer grafting.
- Polymer coatings up to 100 nm thickness were successfully formed via SI-ATRP.
- Significantly reduced fibroblast cell adhesion was observed on polymer-coated metal surfaces compared to bare metals.
- Demonstrated successful micropatterning of antifouling coatings on Ti surfaces, creating distinct cell-adhesive and cell-resistant regions.
Conclusions:
- This study presents a novel and versatile biomimetic anchoring strategy for surface modification using catecholic initiators.
- The developed antifouling polymer coatings show significant potential for biomedical applications by minimizing cell adhesion.
- The approach is adaptable to various inorganic surfaces, offering broad applicability in thin film surface modification.
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