Spray Coated Hydrogel Surface Roughness Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for preventing non-specific protein adsorption, such as pre-adsorbing bovine serum albumin or using fluorinated coatings, are limited in their ability to coat complex geometries like tubes and chambers, and surface-attached cross-linked hydrogels with high surface roughness may reduce entropic shielding, allowing protein penetration.
Innovation Solution
A process involving spray coating a hydrogel precursor solution onto a surface to form a cross-linked hydrogel layer with surface roughness less than 20 nm, using C,H insertion crosslinking and adjusting spray coating parameters to achieve a thin, uniform layer that reduces non-specific adsorption of proteins and other biological materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional coating methods (spin coating, dip coating, doctor blading) are used to apply hydrogel precursor, then the coating process is simple, but the method is limited to planar surfaces and cannot effectively coat complex geometries like tubes and chambers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs spray coating technology, which utilizes pneumatic principles to deliver hydrogel precursor solution onto complex geometries. The spray coating apparatus can effectively coat the interiors of tubes, chambers, and other non-planar surfaces by directing atomized precursor through the geometry, overcoming the limitations of conventional planar coating methods while maintaining processability
2Adaptability or versatility
If spray coating is used to apply hydrogel precursor, then complex geometries can be coated effectively, but the resulting surface roughness may reduce entropic shielding and allow protein penetration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes spray coating parameters including spray distance, spray angle, precursor solution concentration, and drying conditions to control surface roughness. By adjusting these parameters, the coating achieves smooth surfaces with reduced roughness that maintain entropic shielding while still enabling effective coating of complex geometries
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies a preliminary drying step to the spray-coated precursor layer before crosslinking. This preliminary action allows the solvent to evaporate and the precursor to form a uniform, smooth film that, when subsequently crosslinked, maintains the smooth surface morphology necessary for entropic shielding and protein repellency
3Reliability
If the hydrogel layer is made thin and uniform to maintain entropic shielding, then protein adsorption is reduced, but the coating may not provide sufficient mechanical coverage on complex surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs continuous spray coating to ensure uniform and complete coverage of the hydrogel precursor solution across the entire surface, including complex geometries. The continuous application process maintains consistent coating thickness and uniformity while ensuring complete surface coverage, and the subsequent drying and crosslinking steps preserve this uniformity to maintain entropic shielding
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process effectively reduces non-specific adsorption of proteins and other biological materials by creating a surface with enhanced entropic shielding, achieving up to 90% reduction in adsorption compared to uncoated surfaces, while allowing coating on complex geometries like blood collection tubes.
Implementation Method 1
irradiating and/or heating the spray coated layer to crosslink the hydrogel precursor thereby forming the hydrogel and attaching the hydrogel to the surface
Implementation Method 2
irradiating and/or heating the spray coated layer to crosslink the hydrogel precursor
Implementation Method 3
spray coating a hydrogel precursor solution onto a surface under conditions to generate a spray coated layer
Implementation Method 4
The entropic shield arise as the swelling of the polymer network is anisotropic perpendicular to the surface. This anisotropic swelling leads to a high loss in conformational entropy (stretched polymer chains) and influences the entropy of mixing
Implementation Method 5
C,H insertion crosslinking (CHic) has been used to simultaneously form a hydrogel network and attach this network to a surface
Data Source
AI summary
A coated container having reduced nonspecific adsorption of nonspecific targets can have an interior volume surrounded by one or more walls having one or more interior surfaces, and a coating comprising a spray-coated hydrogel layer surface attached to the one or more interior surfaces, the spray-coated hydrogel having surface roughness with surface features with an average features height of less than 20 nm.