Protein adsorption on polymer-modified silica particle surface

Silicon substrate surface and silica particle surface were modified with five kinds of polymers, poly(2-methoxyethyl methacrylate) (pMEMA), poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA), poly(acrylamide) (pAAm), poly(methyl methacrylate) (pMMA), and poly(styrene) (pSt), using a combined polymerization of surface-initiated polymerization that gives dense polymer chain layers and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) that yields polymers with a narrow molecular weight distribution. Measurements of water contact angle and polymer chain amount on the modified silicon substrate surface and adsorption amounts of proteins (albumin and fibrinogen) on the modified silica particle surface revealed that the amount of polymer on the modified surface greatly affects the suppression of protein adsorption on the surface.