Exploiting end group functionalization for the design of antifouling bioactive brushes

Abstract

Biologically active surfaces are essential in many applications in the fields of biosensing, bioimplants, and tissue engineering. However, the introduction of bioactive motifs without impairment of their ability to resist non-specific interactions with biological media remains a challenge. Herein, we present a straightforward, facile strategy for the creation of bioactive surfaces based on the end-group biofunctionalization of state-of-the-art polymer brushes via an ultra-fast Diels–Alder “click” reaction. Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization is employed to grow antifouling polymers preserving the end groups. These groups are then further converted to a reactive cyclopentadienyl moiety and exploited for the immobilization of biomolecules on the topmost layer of the brush. The minimal chemical modification of the antifouling polymer brush accounts for the full preservation of the fouling resistance of the surface even after biofunctionalization, which is critical for the aforementioned applications.