Photopatternable substrate‐independent poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐ran‐2‐(acryloyloxy) ethyl 2‐methylacrylate) polymer films for immobilization of biomolecules

Abstract

We report the synthesis and characterization of a photocrosslinkable copolymer containing reactive epoxy groups for binding biomolecules. The epoxide‐containing copolymer poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐ran‐2‐(acryloyloxy) ethyl 2‐methylacrylate) offers distinct advantages such as ease of application to various substrates, enhanced stability of the bound oligonucleotide, low autofluorescence, and the ability to be photopatterned allowing localization of the linkers. The copolymer uses pendant acryloyl groups to control the crosslinking without sacrificing the epoxide groups. The films were characterized using ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy. The films on glass, silicon wafer, and stainless steel showed no appreciable degradation in water, tetrahydrofuran, and acetone for ∼4 months. The surface topography for a given thickness of crosslinked film was dictated by the deposition conditions. A 16mer oligonucleotide was immobilized on the thin films. A linear relationship between the film thickness and amount of oligonucleotide immobilized was observed with a maximum signal‐to‐background ratio (S/B) of 225 for a 60‐nm‐thick film, a value 50% higher than the S/B for an epoxide monolayer. The crosslinked films maintained a high fluorescence signal following long aqueous washing which is appealing for biological microarrays, immobilizing proteins, and study of slow differentiating cells where stability of the scaffold is relevant. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5826–5838, 2008

Crosslinked PEG mats for peptide immobilization and stem cell adhesion

“…Our prior work with crosslinked polymer thin lms for immobilization of oligonucleotides has shown that as low as 2% crosslinking moiety in the polymer thin lm resulted in lms that were stable for upwards of 4 months. 33 In the current work, we show that crosslinked thin lms of $30 nm thickness (mats) can be used to present bioactive peptides and selectively control human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) adhesion. We synthesized a range of PEG based copolymer compositions by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP).…”

Copolymerization Kinetics of a Simple Methacrylate and Functional Comonomers Via Cu(0)‐mediated Reversible Deactivation Radical Polymerization

“…In order to achieve desired properties in the copolymers synthesized via RDRPs, reactive and functional monomers are apparently important due to not only the easiness of incorporation into copolymers, but also their commercial availability. For example, 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) delivers hydroxyl groups into copolymer chains to make them versatile in physical and chemical properties: hydrophilic character can be tuned by controlling the amount of HEMA in the copolymers, and the hydroxyl group can also be utilized as a nucleophile to immobilize the copolymer onto a substrate for a coating, or to introduce another useful chemical functionality . Physical functionalities also can be imparted; e.g ., common functional monomer, N‐isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM), offers temperature‐responsiveness into polymeric materials .…”

Nitroxide mediated polymerization of sustainably sourced isobornyl methacrylate and tridecyl methacrylate with acrylonitrile co‐monomer

“…Due to the versatility and simplicity of RDRP, many commercial applications have been targeted. Examples include next‐generation biomaterials, organic electronics, and specialized coatings …”