Polymeric coatings and methods for forming them

Abstract

The present invention relates to a controllable polymeric surface coating including a macromolecule, which is covalently bound to the surface of a substrate, the macromolecule including a plurality of polymerisation initiators and a plurality of surface binding groups; and pendant polymers grafted from at least some of the polymerisation initiators.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to methods and processes for modifying the surface of various substrate materials, including organic and inorganic substrates. More specifically, the present invention relates to at least partially coating a substrate surface with a polymer to impart functional properties to the substrate surface that are distinct from the functional properties of the remainder of the substrate. For example, in biomedical applications, a functional property imparted to the surface of a substrate may be the ability to induce a specific biological response. Background technique [0002] In many applications it is important to differentiate between the bulk properties of a material or device and the surface properties of the material or device. The host or substrate material provides a set of host properties suitable for the intended application, such as mechanical or refractive properties. In many applications, however, the surface propert...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, as discussed previously, surface modification protocols designed for specific substrates such as silica and polystyrene severely limit the applicability of this technique

Images