Autori: Peter A. George, Bogdan C. Donose, Justin J. Cooper-White

Editorial: Biomaterials, 30(13), p.2449-2456, 2009.

Rezumat:

In this paper we report a method for biomaterial surface modification that utilizes the self-assembly of
block copolymers of poly(styrene-block-ethylene oxide) (PS–PEO) to generate micro-phase separated
surfaces with varying density PEO domains. These PS–PEO self-assembled surfaces showed a significant
reduction in protein adsorption compared to control polystyrene surfaces. The adhesion of NIH-3T3
fibroblast cells was shown to be significantly affected by the surface coverage of PEO nano-domains
formed by copolymer self-assembly. These nano-domains, when presented at high number density
(almost 1000 domains per square micron), were shown to completely prevent cellular attachment, even
though small amounts of protein were able to bind to the surface.

Cuvinte cheie: Protein adsorption, Biocompatibility, Self-assembly, Surface modification, Block copolymer