Immobilizing PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers on hydrophobic surfaces and its effect on protein and platelet: a combined study using QCM-D and DPI.

Dual polarization interferometry was used to monitor the immobilization dynamics of four Pluronics on hydrophobic surfaces and to elucidate the effect of Pluronic conformation on protein adsorption. The proportion of hydrophobic chain segments and not the length of the hydrophobic chain can influence the chain densities of the Pluronics. The immobilized densities of the Pluronics resulted from competition between the hydration of polyethylene oxide (PEO) in the aqueous solution and the hydrophobic interaction of polypropylene oxide on the substrate. P-123 obtained the largest graft mass (2.89±0.25 ng/mm2) because of the dominant effect of hydrophobic interactions. Hydrophobic segments of P-123 were anchored slowly and step-wise on the C18 substrate. P-123 exhibited the largest hydrophobic chain segment proportion (propylene oxide/ethylene oxide=3.63) and formed a brush chain conformation, indicating excellent protein and platelet resistance. The result of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation further confirmed that the PEO conformation in P-123 on the substrate exhibited a relatively extended brush chain, and that L-35 showed relatively loose and pancake-like structures. The PEO in P-123 regulated the conformation to maintain the native conformation and resist the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Thus, the hemocompatibilities of the immobilized Pluronics were influenced by the proportion of hydrophobic chain segments and their PEO conformations.