| Abstract
| - In this paper, we demonstrate the first use of a catecholic initiator for surface-initiatedpolymerization (SIP) from metal surfaces to create antifouling polymer coatings. A new bifunctional initiatorinspired by mussel adhesive proteins was synthesized, which strongly adsorbs to Ti and 316L stainlesssteel (SS) substrates, providing an anchor for surface immobilization of grafted polymers. Surface-initiatedatom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) was performed through the adsorbed biomimetic initiatorto polymerize methyl methacrylate macromonomers with oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) side chains. X-rayphotoelectron spectroscopy, surface FT-IR, and contact angle analysis confirmed the sequential graftingof initiator and polymer, and ellipsometry indicated the formation of polymer coatings of up to 100 nmthickness. Cell adhesion experiments performed with 3T3-Swiss albino fibroblasts showed substantiallyreduced cell adhesion onto polymer grafted Ti and 316L SS substrates as compared to the unmodifiedmetals. Moreover, micropatterning of grafted polymer coatings on Ti surfaces was demonstrated bycombining SI-ATRP and molecular assembly patterning by lift-off (MAPL), creating cell-adhesive and cell-resistant regions for potential use as cell arrays. Due to the ability of catechols to bind to a large variety ofinorganic surfaces, this biomimetic anchoring strategy is expected to be a highly versatile tool for polymerthin film surface modification for biomedical and other applications.
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