Ma, H: Oligo(ethylene glycol) Based Nonfouling Surfaces

This book presents the initial development of oligo (ethylene glycol) (OEG) based "nonfouling" -protein and cell resistant- coatings that can be applied to a wide range of biomedical applications. A generalized method for creating functionalized nonfouling surfaces was developed by conducting "Surface-Initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of OEG methyl methacrylate (SI-ATRP of OEGMA)" from gold (metallic materials), glass and silicon oxide. Thickness- density profile of poly(OEGMA) was constructed based on SI-ATRP from mixed self-assembled monolayers on gold. For the first time, we constructed a map of protein resistance of PEG coated surfaces, which reveals the relationship between the poly(OEGMA) coatings and their protein adsorption. Applications of this technology were demonstrated on the fabrication of protein microarray, micro/nano- patterns for in vitro cell culturing and improved biocompatibility for in vivo implantation. This work provided a sound foundation for future work focused on the optimization of material-specific coating conditions and in vivo biocompatibility study of OEG coated biomedical devices.