Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Downloads | Help

CPP: Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 14: Self Assembled Layered Systems

CPP 14.2: Talk

Thursday, April 5, 2001, 16:05–16:25, 112

SCANNING FORCE MICROSCOPY STUDY OF OLIGO(ETHYLENE GLYCOL)-TERMINATED MONOLAYERS UNDER ELECTROLYTE SOLUTION — •Christian Dicke and Georg Hähner — Oberflächentechnik, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 5, CH-8092 Zürich, Schweiz

The understanding of protein adsorption on synthetic surfaces is of high interest, e.g. in biomaterials research. In particular, the understanding of non-specific interactions, such as hydrophobic and electrostatic forces between protein and surface, are of major concern.

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) terminated surfaces are well known for their outstanding protein resistant properties. Designing ultrathin films with similar properties and a well-defined structure requires knowlegde of the relevant forces.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) terminated alkanethiols on gold also show resistance to protein adsorption. The strong hydration of the EG units in aqueous solutions led to the suggestion that a net-like structured water layer might be responsible for the observed behaviour. In order to test this hypothesis, the force between a hydrophobic probe and the SAM has been studied in different electrolytes, which -according to the lyotropic series- are known to have different stabilizing/destabilizing effects on liquid structures.