Surface Functionalization of Diamond-like Carbon Film with Biocompatible Polymer Brushes

Abstract

Biocompatible polymer brushes were successfully synthesized on diamond-like carbon (DLC) films via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) of 2-mtharyloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC). The DLC film with a water contact angle (WCA) of approximately 71.9° was modified into a highly hydrophilic surface with a WCA of approximately 15.0° after MPC polymer brush modification. Protein adsorption tests using a quartz crystal microbalance showed that the MPC polymer brush modification dramatically decreased the physical adsorption of bovine albumin and fibrinogen when compared with the DLC film. This indicated an improvement in the surface biocompatibility. Considering that DLC coatings can be applied to various materials such as metals, polymers, and ceramics, MPC polymer brush modification of DLC films would be a versatile technology for improving the surface biocompatibility of a variety of biomedical devices.