Direct Measurements of Overlooked Long-Range Interactions near Zwitterionic and Nonionic Polymer Brushes.

ABSTRACT: Current research on the antifouling mechanisms of "electrically neutral" polymer brushes predominantly emphasizes thermodynamically unfavorable short-range interactions. However, our study reveals the critical importance of long-range interactions. By utilizing zwitterionic poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) (PCBMA) and nonionic poly[oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate] (POEGMA) brushes as model systems, we employed total internal reflection microscopy (TIRM) to directly measure interactions with contaminants. Surprisingly, even seemingly neutral polymers exhibit significant electrostatic interactions with nearby contaminants─a fact that has been largely overlooked in this field. Our findings challenge the prevailing assumption of charge absence on surfaces grafted with antifou

SUBMITTER: Wu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12004931 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature