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Nonfouling poly(ethylene oxide) layers end-tethered to polydopamine
Ognen Pop-Georgievski1, Dominique Verreault, Mark-Oliver Diesner
1Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Heyrovsky Square 2, 162 06 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|September 20, 2012
Summary
We developed a new method to create highly effective nonfouling surfaces using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) brushes tethered to polydopamine (PDA). These surfaces significantly reduce protein adsorption, outperforming existing PEO coatings for advanced biomedical applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Surface Chemistry
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Nonfouling surfaces are crucial for biomedical devices and diagnostics to prevent protein adsorption.
- Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) coatings are widely used but can be improved for enhanced protein resistance.
- Developing versatile methods to create dense PEO brushes on diverse substrates is an ongoing challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a robust method for preparing dense poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) brushes on various substrates.
- To evaluate the protein-repellent properties of these PEO brushes against model proteins and human blood plasma.
- To characterize the structural and conformational properties of the PEO brushes.
Main Methods:
- Tethering hetero-bifunctional PEO chains of varying lengths (2000-20,000 g/mol) to polydopamine (PDA)-modified surfaces via amine and thiol headgroups.
- Utilizing Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) to quantify protein adsorption (human serum albumin, fibrinogen, lysozyme) and human blood plasma.
- Employing Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE), Dynamic Water Contact Angle (DCA), IRRAS, and VSFG spectroscopy for surface characterization.
Main Results:
- PEO brushes tethered to PDA exhibited superior protein resistance compared to PEO layers directly on gold, with adsorption below SPR detection limits for albumin and fibrinogen.
- Surface resistance to lysozyme and human blood plasma adsorption increased with PEO chain length and brush density.
- Characterization confirmed the formation of dense PEO layers with tunable properties.
Conclusions:
- End-tethering PEO to PDA provides a versatile and highly effective strategy for creating dense, protein-repellent surfaces.
- This approach offers enhanced performance over traditional PEO coatings, paving the way for improved biomedical applications.
- The method allows for precise control over PEO brush characteristics, enabling tailored surface properties.
