SHIELD: A Spin-Coated Hydrophobic Interface for Extended Low-Fouling Durability

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biotechnology
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Non-specific protein adsorption on biosensor surfaces reduces measurement accuracy.
• Existing hydrophilic and zwitterionic modifications suffer from chemical instability and complex synthesis.
• A need exists for robust, easily applicable antifouling surface coatings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple, stable, and effective hydrophobic coating for biosensor applications.
• To create a fluorinated copolymer-based surface modification termed SHIELD.
• To evaluate the antifouling performance and substrate applicability of the SHIELD coating.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized a copolymer from 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate and n-butyl acrylate.
• Applied the copolymer uniformly onto diverse substrates using a single-step spin-coating process.
• Assessed antifouling performance via protein adsorption and cell adhesion assays.

Main Results:

• The SHIELD coating demonstrated strong antifouling properties against protein and cell adhesion.
• The coating exhibited low surface energy and enhanced hydrophobicity due to fluorination.
• Coating thickness was tunable by adjusting polymer concentration, allowing optimization of efficacy.
• The coating was stably and reproducibly applied to various substrates.

Conclusions:

• The SHIELD coating presents a facile and robust surface modification strategy for antifouling applications.
• This approach effectively addresses limitations of current surface modification techniques in biosensing.
• The tunable and stable nature of SHIELD holds significant potential for improving biosensor reliability.