PLL–Poly(HPMA) Bottlebrush-Based Antifouling Coatings: Three Grafting Routes
Esther Roeven, Andriy R. Kuzmyn, Luc Scheres, Jacob Baggerman, Maarten M. J. Smulders, Han Zuilhof
Abstract
approach). Additionally, in this third route, we also design and synthesize a bottlebrush polymer with a PLL backbone and poly(HPMA) side chains, with the latter containing 5% carboxybetaine (CB) monomers that eventually allow for additional (bio)functionalization in solution or after surface immobilization. These three routes are evaluated in terms of ease of synthesis, scalability, ease of characterization, and a preliminary investigation of their antifouling performance. All three coating procedures result in coatings that show antifouling properties in single-protein antifouling tests. This method thus presents a new, simple, versatile, and highly scalable approach for the manufacturing of PLL-based bottlebrush coatings that can be synthesized partly or completely on the surface or in solution, depending on the desired production process and/or application.