Interfacial Nanoengineering of Hydrogel Surfaces via Block Copolymer Self-Assembly

authored by: Andrea Cosimi, Daniel D. Stöbener, Philip Nickl, Robert Schusterbauer, Ievgen S. Donskyi, Marie Weinhart
Abstract: Synthetic polymer hydrogels are valuable matrices for biotransformations, drug delivery, and soft implants. While the bulk properties of hydrogels depend on chemical composition and network structure, the critical role of interfacial features is often underestimated. This work presents a nanoscale modification of the gel-water interface using polymer brushes via a straightforward “grafting-to” strategy, offering an alternative to more cumbersome “grafting-from” approaches. Functional block copolymers with photoreactive anchor blocks are successfully self-assembled and UV-immobilized on hydrogel substrates despite their low solid content (<30 wt %). This versatile technique works on both bulk- and surface-immobilized hydrogels, demonstrated on poly(hydroxypropyl acrylate), poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and alginate gels, allowing precise control over grafting density. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry revealed a homogeneous bilayered architecture. By “brushing-up”, the hydrogels’ interface can be tailored to enhance protein adsorption, improve cell adhesion, or impair the diffusive uptake of small molecules into the bulk gels. This effective interfacial nanoengineering method is broadly applicable for enhancing hydrogel performance across a wide range of applications.
Organisation(s): Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry
External Organisation(s): Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin)
BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing
Type: Article
Journal: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume: 17
Pages: 10073-10086
No. of pages: 14
ISSN: 1944-8244
Publication date: 12.02.2025
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: General Materials Science
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c18632 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{0c291561c7784863b2dd2a2a19dcc071,
title = "Interfacial Nanoengineering of Hydrogel Surfaces via Block Copolymer Self-Assembly",
abstract = "Synthetic polymer hydrogels are valuable matrices for biotransformations, drug delivery, and soft implants. While the bulk properties of hydrogels depend on chemical composition and network structure, the critical role of interfacial features is often underestimated. This work presents a nanoscale modification of the gel-water interface using polymer brushes via a straightforward “grafting-to” strategy, offering an alternative to more cumbersome “grafting-from” approaches. Functional block copolymers with photoreactive anchor blocks are successfully self-assembled and UV-immobilized on hydrogel substrates despite their low solid content (<30 wt %). This versatile technique works on both bulk- and surface-immobilized hydrogels, demonstrated on poly(hydroxypropyl acrylate), poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and alginate gels, allowing precise control over grafting density. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry revealed a homogeneous bilayered architecture. By “brushing-up”, the hydrogels{\textquoteright} interface can be tailored to enhance protein adsorption, improve cell adhesion, or impair the diffusive uptake of small molecules into the bulk gels. This effective interfacial nanoengineering method is broadly applicable for enhancing hydrogel performance across a wide range of applications.",
keywords = "benzophenone, brushing-up, fibroblast adhesion, LCST-type polymer, poly(glycidyl ether) (PGE)",
author = "Andrea Cosimi and St{\"o}bener, {Daniel D.} and Philip Nickl and Robert Schusterbauer and Donskyi, {Ievgen S.} and Marie Weinhart",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.",
year = "2025",
month = feb,
day = "12",
doi = "10.1021/acsami.4c18632",
language = "English",
volume = "17",
pages = "10073--10086",
journal = "ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces",
issn = "1944-8244",
publisher = "American Chemical Society",
number = "6",
}