POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE) SURFACE-COATINGS - RELATIONS BETWEEN INTERMOLECULAR FORCES, LAYER STRUCTURE AND PROTEIN REPELLENCY

The adsorption of some ethylene oxide-containing surfactants and polymers has been studied using the surface force technique. The forces acting between surfaces coated with such surfactants and polymers have been investigated as a function of temperature. For all ethylene oxide-containing molecules studied, the general trends of the temperature dependence of the surface forces and the structure of the adsorbed layer can be rationalised by considering the temperature dependence of the interaction between the ethylene oxide group and water. The different polymers and surfactants differ, however, in terms of surface affinity and in terms of the range of the surface forces. Knowledge of the surface forces acting between poly(ethylene oxide) layers can be used to establish why such coatings show a low protein adsorption, particularly at low temperatures.