Covalent attachment of novel poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(DL-lactic acid) copolymeric micelles to TiO2 surfaces

We have investigated the attachment of recently developed poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(DL-lactic acid) (PEG-PLA) copolymeric micelles onto functionalized TiO2 and Au. The attachment and immobilization of the micelles were investigated via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy. Protein resistance of the micelle-covered surfaces was tested with optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS). Our results suggest that these PEG-PLA micelles remain stable on the model surface and form a slightly flattened micelle layer with 70% surface coverage. The OWLS studies using human serum albumin as a model protein show that the micelle layer can enhance the protein resistance of the surfaces by up to 70%.