Surface Properties and Protein Adsorption Performance of Fluorinated Amphiphilic Polymers

To obtain amphiphilic polymers, fluorinated groups were successfully embedded in polyacrylates. The amphiphilic polymers were synthesized by free radical-initiated copolymerization using hydrophilic acrylate monomers and hydrophobic 2-perfluorooctylethyl methacrylate (FMA). 1H NMR spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared results indicated that the fluorinated monomer FMA was successfully embedded in the polymers. The surfaces of the amphiphilic polymers were subsequently characterized by contact angle measurement, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, showing that a well-designed amphiphilic structure with fluorinated groups in the polymers was fabricated with the increase in the number of FMA units (n). Protein adsorption experiments indicated that, in addition to the surface chemical composition and roughness of the polymer, the fluorinated degree of the bulk/internal polymer layer (k) also plays a significant role in its bioadhesion behavior via adjusting the charge state of the polymer surface. With the decrease in k, the critical factor determining the protein adsorption gradually turns from the polymer’s surface to its internal area, and the minimum adsorption for both bovine serum albumin and human plasma fibrinogen on the synthesized polymer surface occurs when k is approximately 12.