Atmospheric pressure plasma polymers for tuned QCM detection of protein adhesion

Our efforts have been concentrated in preparing plasma polymeric thin layers at atmospheric pressure grown on Quartz Crystal Microbalance-QCM electrodes for which the non-specific absorption of proteins can be efficiently modulated, tuned and used for QCM biosensing and quantification. Plasma polymerization reaction at atmospheric pressure has been used as a simple and viable method for the preparation of QCM bioactive surfaces, featuring variable protein binding properties. Polyethyleneglycol (ppEG), polystyrene (ppST) and poly(ethyleneglycol-styrene) (ppST-EG) thin-layers have been grown on QCM electrodes. These layers were characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The plasma ppST QCM electrodes present a higher adsorption of Concanavalin A (ConA) and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) proteins when compared with the commercial coated polystyrene (ppST) ones. The minimum adsorption was found for ppEG, surface, known by their protein anti-fouling properties. The amount of adsorbed proteins can be tuned by the introduction of PEG precursors in the plasma discharge during the preparation of ppST polymers.