Tailored interfaces for biosensors and cell-surface interaction studies via activation and derivatization of polystyrene-block-poly(tert-butyl acrylate) thin films

Thin spin-coated films of polystyrene-block-poly(tert-butyl acrylate) (PS690-b-PtBA1210) on various substrates are introduced as versatile, robust reactive platform for the immobilization of (bio)molecules for the fabrication of tailored biointerfaces. The films are characterized by high stability and (bio)reactivity due to the presence of a glassy PS and a reactive PtBA block, respectively. The selective deprotection of the tert-butyl-ester groups in the PtBA skin layer by hydrolysis under acidic conditions, the activation with N-hydroxysuccinimide and the subsequent derivatization with amino functionalized (bio)molecules were investigated. Based on contact angle, FTIR spectroscopy and XPS, fluorescence microscopy and AFM data, it was shown that the (bio)molecules were coupled covalently to the polymer films and that high molecular coverages up to ∼2.4 poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) molecules per nm2 (Mn = 500 g/mol) were obtained. Organic dyes, polyamidoamine dendrimers, polypeptides, proteins and amino end-functionalized DNA were efficiently and homogeneously immobilized on the PS-PtBA platforms. Grafting of ω-amino functionalized PEG afforded surfaces with substantially reduced non-specific adsorption of proteins and DNA. Owing to the glassy nature of PS and the covalent amide linkages, the derivatized films showed excellent stability under a broad range of processing conditions. Finally, the viability of PS690-b-PtBA1210 platforms as versatile biointerfaces was demonstrated in DNA hybridization experiments, as well as cell-surface interaction studies using pancreatic cancer and K562 cells.