Immobilization of polysaccharides on a fluorinated silicon surface

A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of fluoroalkyl silane (FAS) was deposited on a silicon surface by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at room temperature under 1.01 × 105 Pa nitrogen. Using this new approach, the quality and reproducibility of the SAM are better than those prepared either in solution or by vapor phase deposition, and the deposition process is simpler. In this modified CVD process, the silane monomers, instead of the oligomeric species, are the primary reactants. Full coverage of the silicon surface by FAS molecules was achieved within 5 min. Heparin and hyaluronan, two naturally occurring biocompatible polysaccharides, were successfully covalently attached on the FAS SAM/Si surface by photo-immobilization. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed the morphologic changes after the immobilization of heparin and hyaluronan, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the change in chemical compositions. Such combination of coatings is expected to enhance the stability and biocompatibility of the base material.