ABSTRACT
This manuscript introduces a new family of cyclic acetal-terminated alkanethiols used to prepare self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold. The new SAMs, which are designed as variants of the biocompatible protein-repellant surfaces generated from thin films of oligoethylene glycol (OEG) or polyethylene glycol (PEG), were characterized by ellipsometry, contact-angle goniometry, and polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS). A preliminary study of protein adhesion was also performed using fibrinogen as a model protein. The interfacial structure and properties of the new SAMs were compared with those generated from OEG-terminated alkanethiols and from surface-grafted PEG, which have been described previously. The data show that the new adsorbates form well packed and conformationally ordered films with contact angles of water ranging from 67° to 95°, depending on the precise structure of the acetal terminus. As a whole, the new SAMs offer a unique strategy for studying and designing adhesion-resistant biocompatible inferfaces.
One of a collection of papers honoring Manoj Chaudhury, the February 2005 recipient of The Adhesion Society Award for Excellence in Adhesion Science, sponsored by 3 M.
The Robert A. Welch Foundation (Grant No. E-1320) and the National Science Foundation (NIRT Award ECS-0404308) provided generous support for this research.
Notes
a The uniformly low values of hysteresis suggest homogeneous and smooth interfaces for all SAMs [Citation31].
a No “odd-even” effects were observed.