Poly(ethylene oxide) Layers Grafted to Dopamine-melanin Anchoring Layer: Stability and Resistance to Protein Adsorption

In this study, we propose substrate-independent modification for creating a protein-repellent surface based on dopamine melanin anchoring layer used for subsequent binding of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) from melt. We verified that the dopamine-metanin layer can be formed on literally any substrate and could serve as the anchoring layer for subsequent grafting of PEO chains. Grafting of PEO from melt in a temperature range 70-110 degrees C produces densely packed PEO layers showing exceptionally low protein adsorption when exposed to the whole blood serum or plasma. The PEO layers prepared from melt at 110 degrees C retained the protein repellent properties for as long as 10 days after their exposure to physiological-like conditions. The PEO-cloparnine-melanin modification represents a simple and univearsal surface modification method for the preparation of,, protein repellent surfaces that could serve as a nonfouling background in Various applications, such as optical biosensors and tissue engineering.