Introducing surface-tethered poly(acrylic acid) brushes as 3D functional thin film for biosensing applications

Carboxyl groups of surface-tethered poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) brushes should be able to serve as versatile moieties for a wide range of chemical modifications, including an attachment of bioactive species that can act as sensing probes for biosensors. In this research, poly(tert-butyl acrylate) (Pt-BA) brushes were prepared by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of tert-butyl acrylate. PAA brushes were then obtained after removal of the tert-butyl groups from the Pt-BA brushes by acid hydrolysis. The carboxyl group density of the PAA brushes can be varied as a function of chain length or molecular weight. The reactivity of the carboxyl groups of PAA brushes towards the immobilization of biotin, a frequently used model bioactive probe in biosensing applications, was evaluated. Qualitative determination of streptavidin (SA) binding to the biotin-attached PAA brushes was verified by fluorescence microscopy. The efficiency of the PAA brushes to act as a three dimensional (3D) precursor layer for biosensing applications was further demonstrated using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), where the biotin-attached PAA brushes showed an enhanced signal for the biospecific binding of SA in comparison with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of a carboxyl-terminated alkanethiol, used as a model two-dimensional (2D) conventional precursor layer. The PAA brushes showed very low non-specific interactions with two other tested proteins of a similar pI but different sizes. This desirable feature should be highly beneficial for the development of biosensors.

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► A correlation between carboxyl group density and the chain length or molecular weight of the poly(acrylic acid) brushes was evaluated.
► The layer of poly(acrylic acid) brushes exhibited higher biotin density as compared with the self-assembled monolayer of a carboxyl-terminated alkanethiol, and revealed both a specific binding with streptavidin and also prevented adsorption of other non-specific proteins.