Integrating Sugar and Dopamine into One Polymer: Controlled Synthesis and Robust Surface Modification

Glycopolymers attached to a surface possess the ability to bind to certain carbohydrate binding proteins in a highly specific manner, and because of this, the fabrication of glycopolymer-modified surfaces has evolved as an effective route toward bioresponsive systems. Poly(N-3,4-dihydroxybenzenethyl methacrylamide-co-2-(methacrylamido) glucopyranose) copolymers, containing sugar and catechol functionalities, are for the first time successfully prepared in a well-controlled manner via room temperature single-electron transfer initiation and propagation through radical addition fragmentation chain transfer technique. The polymerization behavior is investigated and it presents controlled features with first-order kinetics and linear relationships between molecular weights and monomer conversions. Moreover, the copolymers are used to modify different types of surfaces (silicon, steel, and plastic), the properties of the surfaces and the specific lectin-binding abilities are investigated by a combination of water contact angle, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectra, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX), atomic force microscopy, and confocal microscope measurements.