Carboxybetaine functionalized nanosilicas as protein resistant surface coatings

Abstract

Materials with protein resistant properties are increasingly sought after for their potential application as low-fouling surface coatings. Hydrophilic coatings with improved resistance to protein fouling have been prepared from zwitterionic carboxybetaine (CB) functionalized silica nanoparticles (SiNPs). The authors report three methods of coating preparation via direct tethering of CB to predeposited particle films, a two-step surface functionalization process, and deposition of CB functionalized particle dispersions. The pH at which aqueous CB solutions were prepared and reacted to SiNPs was found to drastically influence the mechanism of CB attachment and affect the protein resistance of the resultant coatings. Depending on the method of coating preparation, protein binding to functionalized particle coatings was reduced by up to 94% compared to unfunctionalized SiNP control surfaces. As a result, all three methods offer simple and scalable fabrication routes for the generation of hydrophilic, zwitterionic interfaces with improved inhibition to protein fouling.

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds and Their Composites in Antimicrobial Applications

“…Furthermore, Knowles et al engineered the surface of silica coatings with amphoteric betaine and a cationic QAC. [ 79 ] By adjusting the proportion of these coatings and the balance between positive and negative surface charges, a coating is created with both anti‐fouling and antibacterial properties. Additionally, Niu et al altered the surface of Ag@MSN by attaching QPEI (Figure 1D).…”

Zwitterionic Polymer Brushes and Core‐Shell Particles Based thereon for Control of Biofouling

“…They showed an RMS roughness of about 17 nm. [11][12][13][14][15][16] For P(SBMA-3), it is a bit higher due to the uneven coating. The RMS roughness of coatings based on 400 nm core-shell particles is increased to 100-200 nm, and the SiO 2 -P(SBMA 3) and SiO 2 -P(MPC-2) layers are smoother than SiO 2 -P(CBMA-2).…”

“…Molino et al demonstrated in several publications the potential of antifouling coatings based on silica nanoparticles with zwitterionic shells. [11][12][13][14][15][16] The silica core included diameters from 7 to 75 nm and SB-or CB-containing shells. By assembling these particles into multilayer coatings, E. coli adhesion was reduced by up to 94 %.…”

Nanocoating Is a New Way for Biofouling Prevention

“…Moreover, PEG coatings used to swell in aqueous environments because of their highly hydrated nature, which deteriorates their mechanical strength, as well the chemically different substrates remain difficult for PEG to graft (Xie et al, 2019). Hence, studies on alternatives for PEG, such as polyoxazolines (Divandari et al, 2017), polyglycerol dendrons (Wyszogrodzka and Haag, 2009), polysaccharides (Rendueles et al, 2013), polypeptoids (Lin et al, 2011), polyacrylamide (Liu et al, 2012) and zwitterionic polymers (Knowles et al, 2017), has been conducted and these alternatives show similar or better fouling resistance. Besides linear polymer brushes, cyclic-and loop-structured polymer brushes based on poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline)s, such as poly(2methyl-2-oxazoline) (PMOXA) and poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEOXA), have been studied extensively they can generate denser brushes and thus show better protein-resistant properties (Wang et al, 2019).…”