Mussel-Inspired Copolyether Loop with Superior Antifouling Behavior

Abstract

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has attracted significant interest because of its superior antifouling properties, water solubility, and biocompatibility. However, the translation of its antifouling properties onto target surfaces has been challenging because of its limited functionality. Herein, the superior antifouling properties of PEG-based block copolyethers functionalized with catechol, a mussel-inspired, versatile moiety for coating surfaces, were evaluated within a framework of polyethers exclusively. A series of catechol-functionalized polyethers with diverse molecular weights and catechol contents were synthesized via anionic ringopening polymerization in a controlled manner. The versatile adsorption and antifouling effects of block copolyethers were evaluated using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation. Furthermore, the crucial role of the topology (loop vs brush) in the antifouling properties was analyzed via a surface force apparatus and direct atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. This study demonstrates that the catechol-functionalized triblock copolymer shows excellent antifouling properties, exhibiting its great potential in various biomedical applications.

Synthesis of functional and architectural polyethers via the anionic ring-opening polymerization of epoxide monomers using a phosphazene base catalyst

“…Indeed, by taking advantage of the well-controlled nature of t-Bu-P 4 -catalyzed AROP, several groups, including ours, have successfully created polyetherbased or polyether-containing functional materials. Examples include thermoresponsive materials [39], solid electrolytes for lithium batteries [40], organic memory devices [24], antifouling materials [41], and polymeric micelles [26,27,42,43].…”

Effect of Substituents in Mussel‐inspired Surface Primers on their Oxidation and Priming Efficiency

“…3,4‐Dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) is an abundant amino acid, found in the byssal plaque of a mussel, which has a catechol functionality that contributes to interfacial surface adhesion. Therefore, researchers have synthesized DOPA‐mimetic small molecules or polymers for surface coating and functionalization [23–29] . The adhesive properties of these catecholic materials mainly depend on the configuration of the vicinal diol in the catechol ring, and the cohesive property of the catechol materials relies on the oxidation of catechol.…”

“…Therefore, researchers have synthesized DOPA‐mimetic small molecules or polymers for surface coating and functionalization. [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ] The adhesive properties of these catecholic materials mainly depend on the configuration of the vicinal diol in the catechol ring, and the cohesive property of the catechol materials relies on the oxidation of catechol. Surface modification using DOPA‐mimetic molecules is utilized in surface‐initiated polymer grafting, cell adhesion, and patterning.…”

An ε-caprolactone-derived 2-oxazoline inimer for the synthesis of graft copolymers

“…8,[14][15][16][17][18] However, the combination of 2-oxazolines and acrylates as a graft copolymer has seldom been reported, with even fewer reports on the 2-oxazoline backbone and acrylate brush combination. [19][20][21][22][23] Graft copolymers can be synthesized from three synthetic routes: grafting to, grafting through, and grafting from. While each method is associated with its own advantages and disadvantages, [24][25][26] the grafting from approach, the chosen synthetic route in this research, can give superior control over the grafting density.…”