Ultra low fouling zwitterionic polymers with a biomimetic adhesive group

Biomimetic polymers with a zwitterionic moiety for ultra low fouling and a catechol end group for surface anchoring have been developed. Binding tests of the adhesive polymers on various surfaces, including amino (NH2), hydroxyl (OH), and methyl (CH3) terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) along with bare gold, were performed under acidic and basic conditions. Protein adsorption from single protein solutions of fibrinogen, lysozyme, and complex media of 10–100% blood plasma and serum was measured using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor. Under optimized conditions, the coated surfaces are highly resistant to non-specific protein adsorption from both single protein solutions and blood serum/plasma. Furthermore, the 3-day accumulation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the coated surfaces was evaluated in situ in a laminar flow chamber. Results show that the coated surfaces are highly resistant to bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. This work demonstrates a convenient and efficient method for using zwitterionic polymers with a catechol anchor group to achieve ultra low fouling surfaces via surface modification, for applications in complex media.