Fabrication of Transparent PEGylated Antifouling Coatings via One-Step Pyrogallol Deposition

Abstract

Antifouling coatings are critical for many biomedical devices. A simple and universal technique used to anchor antifouling polymers is important in order to expand its applications. In this study, we introduced the pyrogallol (PG)-assisted immobilization of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to deposit a thin antifouling layer on biomaterials. Briefly, biomaterials were soaked in a PG/PEG solution and PEG was immobilized onto the biomaterial surfaces via PG polymerization and deposition. The kinetics of PG/PEG deposition started with the deposition of PG on the substrates, followed by the addition of a PEG-rich adlayer. However, prolonged coating added a top-most PG-rich layer, which deteriorated the antifouling efficacy. By controlling the amounts of PG and PEG and the coating time, the PG/PEG coating was able to reduce more than 99% of the adhesion of L929 cells and the adsorption of fibrinogen. The ultrathin (tens of nanometers) and smooth PG/PEG coating was easily deposited onto a wide variety of biomaterials, and the deposition was robust enough to survive harsh sterilization conditions. Furthermore, the coating was highly transparent and allowed most of the UV and Vis light to pass through. The technique has great potential to be applied to biomedical devices that need a transparent antifouling coating, such as intraocular lenses and biosensors.

Recent Advances in Antifouling Surface Polymer Brushes

“…The biomaterials after PEG deposition exhibited a significant reduction (99%) in surface adsorption of proteins and cells. 216…”

“…215 Furthermore, Tsai et al reported the deposition of a thin layer of PEG on biomaterials using pyrogallol, a derivative of catechol functional groups, for antifouling surface applications requiring transparency, such as artificial lenses and inspection devices. 216 By simply dipping in a solution of pyrogallol/PEG, the surfaces of a number of biomaterial substrates could be coated with a smooth layer of PEG only a few nanometers in thickness. The biomaterials after PEG deposition exhibited a significant reduction (99%) in surface adsorption of proteins and cells.…”

“…This strategy greatly improved the stability of the PEG coating, leading to a durable and excellent resistance to marine diatom adhesion for 4 weeks in seawater . Furthermore, Tsai et al reported the deposition of a thin layer of PEG on biomaterials using pyrogallol, a derivative of catechol functional groups, for antifouling surface applications requiring transparency, such as artificial lenses and inspection devices . By simply dipping in a solution of pyrogallol/PEG, the surfaces of a number of biomaterial substrates could be coated with a smooth layer of PEG only a few nanometers in thickness.…”

“…By simply dipping in a solution of pyrogallol/PEG, the surfaces of a number of biomaterial substrates could be coated with a smooth layer of PEG only a few nanometers in thickness. The biomaterials after PEG deposition exhibited a significant reduction (99%) in surface adsorption of proteins and cells …”

Elucidating the Role of Optical Activity of Polymers in Protein–Polymer Interactions

“…PEG, p(SBMA), and p(CBMA) are also documented for their antifouling behaviour, and polymer-chain-tethered surfaces exhibit reduced protein fouling on the modified surface [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Studies on the molecular interactions of stealth polymers with proteins in solution, however, show that stealth polymers such as PEG weakly interact with the proteins, and protein–polymer interactions are largely dependent on the size, concentration, and end group functionalities of PEG chains [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ].…”