A Novel Method to Attenuate Protein Adsorption Using Combinations of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Grafts and Piezoelectric Actuation

Abstract

An antifouling treatment based on the combined effects of grafted polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymers and the application of vibration is reported. A gold-coated lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric composite was grafted with PEG used as a model substrate. The PEG grafted surfaces were thoroughly characterized by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In vitro protein adsorption onto PEG coated surfaces was studied with and without the application of vibration. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption onto PEG grafted surfaces followed a similar pattern as reported in literature. However, when piezoelectric vibration was applied on the PEG grafted surface, BSA desorption was observed. At very low graft densities, the vibration significantly reduced the BSA adsorption compared with high PEG graft densities. Theoretical calculations showed that the thickness of PEG layer on the surface was affecting vibration induced protein desorption.