Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 10073–10086 |
| Pages (from-to) | 10073-10086 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - 12 Feb 2025 |
Abstract
Synthetic polymer hydrogels are valuable matrices for biotransformations, drug delivery, and soft implants. While the bulk properties of hydrogels depend on chemical composition and network structure, the critical role of interfacial features is often underestimated. This work presents a nanoscale modification of the gel-water interface using polymer brushes via a straightforward “grafting-to” strategy, offering an alternative to more cumbersome “grafting-from” approaches. Functional block copolymers with photoreactive anchor blocks are successfully self-assembled and UV-immobilized on hydrogel substrates despite their low solid content (<30 wt %). This versatile technique works on both bulk- and surface-immobilized hydrogels, demonstrated on poly(hydroxypropyl acrylate), poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and alginate gels, allowing precise control over grafting density. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry revealed a homogeneous bilayered architecture. By “brushing-up”, the hydrogels’ interface can be tailored to enhance protein adsorption, improve cell adhesion, or impair the diffusive uptake of small molecules into the bulk gels. This effective interfacial nanoengineering method is broadly applicable for enhancing hydrogel performance across a wide range of applications.
Keywords
- benzophenone, brushing-up, fibroblast adhesion, LCST-type polymer, poly(glycidyl ether) (PGE)
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Materials Science(all)
- General Materials Science
Cite this
- Standard
- Harvard
- Apa
- Vancouver
- BibTeX
- RIS
In: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Vol. 17, No. 6, 10073–10086, 12.02.2025, p. 10073-10086.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Interfacial Nanoengineering of Hydrogel Surfaces via Block Copolymer Self-Assembly
AU - Cosimi, Andrea
AU - Stöbener, Daniel D.
AU - Nickl, Philip
AU - Schusterbauer, Robert
AU - Donskyi, Ievgen S.
AU - Weinhart, Marie
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.
PY - 2025/2/12
Y1 - 2025/2/12
N2 - Synthetic polymer hydrogels are valuable matrices for biotransformations, drug delivery, and soft implants. While the bulk properties of hydrogels depend on chemical composition and network structure, the critical role of interfacial features is often underestimated. This work presents a nanoscale modification of the gel-water interface using polymer brushes via a straightforward “grafting-to” strategy, offering an alternative to more cumbersome “grafting-from” approaches. Functional block copolymers with photoreactive anchor blocks are successfully self-assembled and UV-immobilized on hydrogel substrates despite their low solid content (<30 wt %). This versatile technique works on both bulk- and surface-immobilized hydrogels, demonstrated on poly(hydroxypropyl acrylate), poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and alginate gels, allowing precise control over grafting density. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry revealed a homogeneous bilayered architecture. By “brushing-up”, the hydrogels’ interface can be tailored to enhance protein adsorption, improve cell adhesion, or impair the diffusive uptake of small molecules into the bulk gels. This effective interfacial nanoengineering method is broadly applicable for enhancing hydrogel performance across a wide range of applications.
AB - Synthetic polymer hydrogels are valuable matrices for biotransformations, drug delivery, and soft implants. While the bulk properties of hydrogels depend on chemical composition and network structure, the critical role of interfacial features is often underestimated. This work presents a nanoscale modification of the gel-water interface using polymer brushes via a straightforward “grafting-to” strategy, offering an alternative to more cumbersome “grafting-from” approaches. Functional block copolymers with photoreactive anchor blocks are successfully self-assembled and UV-immobilized on hydrogel substrates despite their low solid content (<30 wt %). This versatile technique works on both bulk- and surface-immobilized hydrogels, demonstrated on poly(hydroxypropyl acrylate), poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and alginate gels, allowing precise control over grafting density. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry revealed a homogeneous bilayered architecture. By “brushing-up”, the hydrogels’ interface can be tailored to enhance protein adsorption, improve cell adhesion, or impair the diffusive uptake of small molecules into the bulk gels. This effective interfacial nanoengineering method is broadly applicable for enhancing hydrogel performance across a wide range of applications.
KW - benzophenone
KW - brushing-up
KW - fibroblast adhesion
KW - LCST-type polymer
KW - poly(glycidyl ether) (PGE)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85217100348&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acsami.4c18632
DO - 10.1021/acsami.4c18632
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85217100348
VL - 17
SP - 10073
EP - 10086
JO - ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
JF - ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
SN - 1944-8244
IS - 6
M1 - 10073–10086
ER -