Smart polymers surfaces

Koberstein et al., J.T, Creating smart polymer surfaces with selective adhesion properties. J. Adhes., 66, 229-245 (1998). 

Smart Polymer Surfaces Concepts and Applications in Biosciences... 

Types of Smart Polymer Surfaces 2.1 Thermoresponsive Polymers... 

Bioapplications of Smart Polymer Surfaces 4.1 Antifouling Surfaces... 

Culturing of eukaryotic cells is an important element of modern life science. Although there are cells that can grow in free suspension, most cells derived from solid tissues need to be cultured at surfaces and must subsequently be lifted off for further use. Common protocols require the use of digesting enzymes like trypsin for this step, which will destroy any features outside the cell membrane. Hence, with these methods, harvesting of completely intact cells is impossible. Therefore, it was an attractive idea to apply smart polymer surfaces for the control of cell adhesion. 

It should be also noted that the field of smart polymer surfaces is not limited to the macromolecular structures presented in the first part of this chapter. Although some classic stimuli-responsive polymers such as PNIPAM or poly(acrylic acid) have been studied for several years, new exciting options are reported every week in the polymer literature. For instance, the synthesis of chemo- and bioresponsive polymers is a topic in full expansion [9], Thus, new developments in the fields of bioassays and biosensors may be expected in the near future. For instance, more advanced surface concepts (e.g., multiresponsive behaviors, signal cascades) can be anticipated with reasonable certainty. 

Recently, dimethylamino and zwitterion end-fimctionahzed block copolymers were used in the construction of smart polymer surfaces [39]. These surfaces were fovmd to respond almost reversibly to external stimuli, being able to alter the wetting characteristics of a polymer surface when it is exposed to a humid environment, hi this process the abihty of a diblock copolymer, having the hydrophilic group attached to the mostly surface active block, to accumulate at the polymer/air interface was utilized. The end group is hidden below the polymer surface when in contact with dry air while it is present on the surface when the material is exposed to water vapor. Due to the increase of the concentration of the polar groups on the polymer surface, the water contact angle is reduced. This process could be reversed and... 

Filimon, M., Kopf, I., Bailout, F., Schmidt, D.A., Briindermarm, E., Riihe, J., Santer, S., Flavenith, M. Smart polymer surfaces mapping chemical landscapes on the nanometre scale. Soft Matter 6, 3764 (2010)... 

This research has bear sujqported by a Marie Curie Transfer of Knowledge Fellowships of the EC 6FP under the contract no. MTKD-CT-200S-029S40 Development of smart polymer surfaces (POLYSURF). 

Qing, G. Wang, X. Jiang, L. Fuchs, H. Sun, T. Saccharide-sensitive wettability switching on a smart polymer surface. Soft Matter 21)09, 5, 2759-2765. 

Yu Q, Cho J, ShivapoojaP, IstaLK, Lopez GP (2013) Nanopattemed smart polymer surfaces for controlled attachment, kHling, and release of bacteria. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 5(19) ... 

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