New Functionalizable Alkyltrichlorosilane Surface Modifiers for Biosensor and Biomedical Applications

We report herein three unprecedented alkyltrichlorosilane surface modifiers bearing pentafluorophenyl ester (PFP), benzothiosulfonate (BTS), or novel β-propiolactone (BPL) functionalizable terminal groups. Evidence is provided that these molecules can be prepared in very high purity (as assessed by NMR) through a last synthetic step of Pt-catalyzed alkene hydrosilylation then directly employed, without further purification, for the surface modification of quartz and medical grade stainless steel. Subsequent on-surface functionalizations with amine and thiol model molecules demonstrate the potential of these molecular adlayers to be important platforms for future applications in the bioanalytical and biomedical fields

Probing the Hydration of Ultrathin Antifouling Organosilane Adlayers using Neutron Reflectometry

Neutron reflectometry data and modeling support the existence of a relatively thick, continuous phase of water stemming from within an antifouling monoethylene glycol silane adlayer prepared on oxidized silicon wafers. In contrast, this physically distinct (from bulk) interphase is much thinner and only interfacial in nature for the less effective adlayer lacking internal ether oxygen atoms. These results provide further insight into the link between antifouling and surface hydration

Prevention of Thrombogenesis from Whole Human Blood on Plastic Polymer by Ultrathin Monoethylene Glycol Silane Adlayer

In contemporary society, a large percentage of medical equipment coming in contact with blood is manufactured from plastic polymers. Unfortunately, exposure may result in undesirable protein–material interactions that can potentially trigger deleterious biological processes such as thrombosis. To address this problem, we have developed an ultrathin antithrombogenic coating based on monoethylene glycol silane surface chemistry. The strategy is exemplified with polycarbonate–a plastic polymer increasingly employed in the biomedical industry. The various straightforward steps of surface modification were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy supplemented by contact angle goniometry. Antithrombogenicity was assessed after 5 min exposure to whole human blood dispensed at a shear rate of 1000 s^–1. Remarkably, platelet adhesion, aggregation, and thrombus formation on the coated surface was greatly inhibited (>97% decrease in surface coverage) compared to the bare substrate and, most importantly, nearly nonexistent