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Interfacial Molecular-level Structures of Polymers and Biomacromolecules Revealed via Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy
Published on: August 13, 2019
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Interfacial Structures and Fibrinogen Adsorption at Blood-Compatible Polymer/Water Interfaces
Daiki Murakami1, Shingo Kobayashi1, Masaru Tanaka1
1Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University, CE41, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
|January 20, 2021
Summary
Blood-compatible polymers like poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) (PMEA) form nanometer-scale structures at interfaces. These structures influence fibrinogen adsorption, potentially due to microphase separation.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Surface Science
Background:
- Blood-compatible polymers are crucial for medical devices.
- Understanding polymer-water interfaces is key to biocompatibility.
- Poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) (PMEA) is a known blood-compatible polymer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interfacial structures of PMEA and analogues.
- To understand how these structures affect protein adsorption.
- To elucidate the mechanisms behind interfacial structure formation.
Main Methods:
- Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used to visualize interfacial structures.
- Experiments were conducted at polymer/water and polymer/phosphate-buffered saline interfaces.
- Fibrinogen adsorption patterns were analyzed using AFM.
Main Results:
- PMEA and analogues formed homogeneous nanometer-scale protrusions at interfaces.
- Fibrinogen adsorbed locally on these protrusions, not uniformly.
- Regions adjacent to protrusions appeared to inhibit fibrinogen adsorption.
Conclusions:
- Interfacial structures, specifically protrusions, are characteristic of PMEA-like blood-compatible polymers.
- These structures play a role in modulating fibrinogen adsorption.
- In-plane microphase separation of polymer and water at the interface is a likely cause for structure formation.
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