(807a) Invited Talk: Molecular Understanding, Design and Development of Ultra Low Fouling Zwitterionic-Based Functional Materials | AIChE

(807a) Invited Talk: Molecular Understanding, Design and Development of Ultra Low Fouling Zwitterionic-Based Functional Materials

Authors 

Jiang, S. - Presenter, University of Washington



An important challenge in many applications, ranging from biomedical devices to drug delivery carriers, is the prevention of nonspecific biomolecular and microorganism attachment on surfaces. To address this challenge, our goals are twofold. First, we strive to provide a fundamental understanding of nonfouling mechanisms at the molecular level using an integrated experimental and simulation approach. Second, we aim to develop biocompatible and environmentally benign ultra low fouling materials based on the molecular principles we have learned. Over the last several years, we have demonstrated that zwitterionic and mixed charge materials and surfaces are highly resistant to nonspecific protein adsorption, cell adhesion and bacteria adhesion/biofilm formation from complex media such as blood and tissue. Both simulation and experimental results show that the strong hydration of zwitterionic materials is responsible for their excellent nonfouling properties. Unlike poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), zwitterionic materials encompass a broad spectrum of polymers with distinctive monomeric chemical structures. In addition to their excellent nonfouling properties, zwitterionic materials have several other unique properties such as functionalizable, superhydrophilic, and switchable. At present, zwitterionic materials have been applied to a number of applications, including medical devices, diagnostics, drug/gene delivery, tissue scaffolds, antimicrobial coatings, and marine coatings and have been demonstrated to have superior performance over their PEG counterparts.