Novel antifouling surface with improved hemocompatibility by immobilization of polyzwitterions onto silicon via click chemistry

Abstract

A novel procedure is presented to develop an antifouling silicon surface with improved hemocompatibility by using a zwitterionic polymer, poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (polySBMA). Functionalization of the silicon surface with polySBMA involved the following three steps: (1) an alkyne terminated polySBMA was synthesized by RAFT polymerization; (2) a self-assembled monolayer with bromine end groups was constructed on the silicon surface, and then the bromine end groups were replaced by azide groups; and (3) the polySBMA was attached to the silicon surface by azide–alkyne cycloaddition click reaction. Membrane characterization confirmed a successful silicon surface modification with almost 100% coverage by polySBMA and an extremely hydrophilic surface after such modification. The polySBMA-modified silicon surface was found to have excellent anti-nonspecific adsorption properties for both bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein and model bacterial cells. Whole blood adsorption experiments showed that the polySBMA-modified silicon surface exhibited excellent hemocompatibility and effective anti-adhesion to blood cells. Silicon membranes with such antifouling and hemocompatible surfaces can be advantageously used to drastically extend the service life of implantable medical devices such as artificial kidney devices.