Abstract
Anti-fouling polymer brushes (PBs), coated as a nanoscale film onto the surface of a biosensor, are commonly used for the study of molecular interactions and the study of cell behavior. Here, we use infrared spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy to study the role of PBs functionalization with bioreceptors to be used for biosensing.
We use mass spectroscopy to investigate the characteristics of non-specifically adsorbed (fouled) proteins on a variety of PBs and furthermore, we are developing a novel microfluidic based polymerization system for the controlled preparation of PBs. Combined, these methods provide significant information for the development of PBs with even higher anti-fouling performance and will help us elucidate the complex biomolecular interactions occurring on biosensing surfaces.