Contact angles of oils on solid substrates in aqueous media: correlation with AFM data on protein adhesion

This study presents a method to measure the contact angles of oils on a substrate in water. Diiodomethane and perfluorodecalin were used as model oils. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) were prepared by adjusting the mole ratio of CH 3- and OH-terminated alkanethiols. The contact angles of the two oils in water increased with increasing hydrophilicity of the SAMs, and the results are contrasted with the contact angles of oils on these surfaces in air. In addition, perfluorodecalin showed higher contact angles than diiodomethane on the same surface. On the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNiPAAM) monolayer surface, the contact angles of the two oils in water decreased sharply at the transition temperature of PNiPAAM (approximately 30 degrees C), but the surface retained fairly high hydrophilicity even after the transition. The above results are correlated with atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements of the adhesion force between protein-immobilized AFM tips (human fibrinogen and bovine serum albumin) and these monolayers.     

Fabrication of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and inorganic micropattern on flexible polymer substrate

By grafting (aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) as the buffer layer on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) surface, the SAMs ofoctadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS), phenyltrichlorosilane (PTCS), vinyltrichlorosilane (VTCS), andp-tolyltrichlorosilane (TTCS) were fabricated on the flexible polymer substrate. The properties of SAMs were accurately controlled by adjusting the immersing time of substrates in the solutions and the concentration of the solutions. The SAMs acted as templates, and TiO2 micropattern was successfully deposited on OTS, TTCS, and PTCS SAMs.     

Strong resistance of oligo(phosphorylcholine) self-assembled monolayers to protein adsorption

In this work, we demonstrate the strong resistance of oligo(phosphorylcholine) (OPC) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to protein adsorption and cell adhesion. OPC SAMs were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and protein adsorption was measured using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor. Results are compared with those of phosphorylcholine (PC) SAMs. Despite the existence of negative charge on OPC SAMs and the simple synthesis procedure of OPC thiols, OPC SAMs resist protein adsorption as effectively as or better than PC SAMs formed from highly purified PC thiols. The ease of their preparation and the effectiveness of their function make OPC SAMs an attractive alternative for creating nonfouling surfaces.     

Patterning of conducting polymers using charged self-assembled monolayers

We introduce a new approach to pattern conducting polymers by combining oppositely charged conducting polymers on charged self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The polymer resist pattern behaves as a physical barrier, preventing the formation of SAMs. The patterning processes were carried out using commercially available conducting polymers: a negatively charged PEDOT/PSS (poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene)/poly(4-stylenesulphonic acid)) and a positively charged polypyrrole (PPy). A bifunctional NH 2 (positively charged) or COOH (negatively charged) terminated alkane thiol or silane was directly self-assembled on a substrate (Au or SiO 2). A suspension of the conducting polymers (PEDOT/PSS and PPy) was then spin-coated on the top surface of the SAMs and allowed to adsorb on the oppositely charged SAMs via an electrostatic driving force. After lift-off of the polymer resist, i.e., poly(methyl methacrylate, PMMA), using acetone, the conducting polymers remained on the charged SAMs surface. Optical microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy reveal that the prepared nanolines have low line edge roughness and high line width resolution. Thus, conducting polymer patterns with high resolution could be produced by simply employing charged bifunctional SAMs. It is anticipated that this versatile new method can be applied to device fabrication processes of various nano- and microelectronics.     

Electrochemical factors controlling the patterning of metals on SAM-coated substrates

Alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have been used in electrochemical microfabrication processes. The reductive desorption potential of alkanethiol SAMs, Edes, can be comparable to, greater than, or less than the metal reduction potential during electrodeposition, Emet. As a result, the SAM layer can passivate the surface or desorb simultaneously with metal deposition. We show that these electrochemical traits can be combined with a rastering microjet electrode to pattern SAMs directly and create patterned metal films without lithography steps. For the case of copper deposition on 1-octanethiol (OT)- and 1-dodecanethiol (DT)-coated substrates, Edes is significantly negative of Emet, resulting in high-resolution metal patterns with poor nucleation and poor adhesion to the substrate. However, nickel patterns deposited on 1-butanethiol (BT), OT, and DT have traits similar to bare gold (excellent nucleation and adhesion) because Edes is positive of Emet. Substrates with SAMs also suppress adventitious chemistries that occur distant from the rastering microjet electrode, such as oxygen reduction, making samples more corrosion resistant and improving the overall patterning process that we call electrochemical printing.     

Multifunctional mixed SAMs that promote both cell adhesion and noncovalent DNA immobilization

The ability of DNA strands to influence cellular gene expression directly and to bind with high affinity and specificity to other biological molecules (e.g., proteins and target DNA strands) makes them a potentially attractive component of cell culture substrates. On the basis of the potential importance of immobilized DNA in cell culture and the well-defined characteristics of alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), the current study was designed to create multifunctional SAMs upon which cell adhesion and DNA immobilization can be independently modulated. The approach immobilizes the fibronectin-derived cell adhesion ligand Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-Pro (RGDSP) using carbodiimide activation chemistry and immobilizes DNA strands on the same surface via cDNA-DNA interactions. The surface density of hexanethiol-terminated DNA strands on alkanethiol monolayers (30.2-69.2 pmol/cm2) was controlled using a backfill method, and specific target DNA binding on cDNA-containing SAMs was regulated by varying the soluble target DNA concentration and buffer characteristics. The fibronectin-derived cell adhesion ligand GGRGDSP was covalently linked to carboxylate groups on DNA-containing SAM substrates, and peptide density was proportional to the amount of carboxylate present during SAM preparation. C166-GFP endothelial cells attached and spread on mixed SAM substrates and cell adhesion and spreading were specifically mediated by the immobilized GGRGDSP peptide. The ability to control the characteristics of noncovalent DNA immobilization and cell adhesion on a cell culture substrate suggests that these mixed SAMs could be a useful platform for studying the interaction between cells and DNA.     

Staphylococcus aureus adhesion to self-assembled monolayers: effect of surface chemistry and fibrinogen presence

Staphylococcus aureus adhesion on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed by the adsorption of alkanethiols on transparent gold films has been studied in real time under well-defined flow conditions using a radial flow chamber and an automated videomicroscopy system. SAMs terminated with methyl, hydroxyl, carboxylic acid and tri(ethylene oxide) groups were investigated. SAMs were characterized using contact angle measurements, ellipsometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Adhesion experiments using the Newman strain of S. aureus were performed on bare monolayers and monolayers pre-incubated with fibrinogen. Adhesion was found to be lowest on the ethylene oxide-bearing surfaces, followed by the hydroxyl surfaces. Adhesion on the carboxylic- and methyl-terminated SAMs was much higher. Bacterial adhesion was higher on the hydrophobic surfaces. Pre-incubation of surfaces with fibrinogen minimized the effect of the surface properties of the substrate. Adhesion was increased on all surfaces when fibrinogen was present and no significant differences were observed between adhesion to the different SAMs. This study showed that surfaces rich in ethylene oxide groups can be effectively used to prevent bacterial adhesion. However, under physiological conditions, most of the substrate properties are masked by the presence of the adsorbed protein layer and the effect of substrate properties on bacteria adhesion under flow is minimal.     

Computer simulation of adhesion between hydrophilic and hydrophobic self-assembled monolayers in water

The grand canonical Monte Carlo technique and atomistic force fields are used to calculate the force-distance relations and free energies of adhesion between carboxyl and methyl terminated alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) in water. Both symmetric and asymmetric confinements are considered, as formed by like and unlike SAMs, respectively. As the confinement is increased, water confined by the hydrophobic methyl terminated SAMs experiences capillary evaporation. As a consequence, the adhesion energy is determined by the direct interaction between bare SAMs. In the asymmetric system, an incomplete capillary evaporation is observed, with the number of water molecules dropped by more than an order of magnitude. The remaining water molecules are all adsorbed on the hydrophilic SAM, while the hydrophobic SAM is separated from the rest of the system by a thin vapor layer. The calculated free energies of adhesion are in acceptable agreement with experiment.     

Effect of surface wettability on the adhesion of proteins

Besides significantly broadening the scope of available data on adhesion of proteins on solid substrates, we demonstrate for the first time that all seven proteins (tested here) behave similarly with respect to adhesion exhibiting a step increase in adhesion as wettability of the solid substrate decreases. Also, quantitative measures of like-protein-protein and like-self-assembled-monolayer (SAM)-SAM adhesive energies are provided. New correlations, not previously reported, suggest that the helix and random content (as measures of secondary structure) normalized by the molecular weight of a protein are significant for predicting protein adhesion and are likely related to protein stability at interfaces. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to directly measure the normalized adhesion or pull-off forces between a set of seven globular proteins and a series of eight well-defined model surfaces (SAMs), between like-SAM-immobilized surfaces and between like-protein-immobilized surfaces in phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4). Normalized force-distance curves between SAMs (alkanethiolates deposited on gold terminated with functional uncharged groups -CH3, -OPh, -CF3, -CN, -OCH3, -OH, -CONH2, and -EG3OH) covalently attached to an AFM cantilever tip modified with a sphere and covalently immobilized proteins (ribonuclease A, lysozyme, bovine serum albumin, immunoglobulin, gamma-globulins, pyruvate kinase, and fibrinogen) clearly illustrate the differences in adhesion between these surfaces and proteins. The adhesion of proteins with uncharged SAMs showed a general "step" dependence on the wettability of the surface as determined by the water contact angle under cyclooctane (thetaco). Thus, for SAMs with thetaco < approximately 66 degrees, (-OH, -CONH2, and -EG3OH), weak adhesion was observed (>-4 +/- 1 mN/m), while for approximately 66 < thetaco < approximately 104 degrees, (-CH3, -OPh, -CF3, -CN, -OCH3), strong adhesion was observed (< or =8 +/- 3 mN/m) that increases (more negative) with the molecular weight of the protein. Large proteins (170-340 kDa), in contrast to small proteins (14 kDa), exhibit characteristic stepwise decompression curves extending to large separation distances (hundreds of nanometers). With respect to like-SAM surfaces, there exists a very strong adhesive (attractive) interaction between the apolar SAM surfaces and weak interactive energy between the polar SAM surfaces. Because the polar surfaces can form hydrogen bonds with water molecules and the apolar surfaces cannot, these measurements provide a quantitative measure of the so-called mean hydrophobic interaction (approximately -206 +/- 8 mN/m) in phosphate-buffered saline at 296 +/- 1 K. Regarding protein-protein interactions, small globular proteins (lysozyme and ribonuclease A) have the least self-adhesion force, indicating robust conformation of the proteins on the surface. Intermediate to large proteins (BSA and pyruvate kinase-tetramer) show measurable adhesion and suggest unfolding (mechanical denaturation) during retraction of the protein-covered substrate from the protein-covered AFM tip. Fibrinogen shows the greatest adhesion of 20.4 +/- 2 mN/m. Unexpectedly, immunoglobulin G (IgG) and gamma-globulins exhibited very little adhesion for intermediate size proteins. However, using a new composite index, n (the product of the percent helix plus random content times relative molecular weight as a fraction of the largest protein in the set, Fib), to correlate the normalized adhesion force, IgG and gamma-globulins do not behave abnormally as a result of their relatively low helix and random (or high sheet) content.     

Rhodamine B aggregation in self-assembled multilayers induced by polyelectrolyte and interfacial fluorescence recognition for DNA

Photophysical properties of Rhodamine B bound to water-soluble polyanion sodium poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) in solution and Quartz/APES/PSS/RB SAMs were investigated. Experiments showed that Rhodamine B aggregated in Quartz/APES/PSS/RB SAMs and its fluorescence behavior was different from that in Quartz/APES/RB SAMs without PSS. The constructed Quartz/APES/PSS/RB SAMs were applied for label-free interfacial fluorescence sensing of DNA with extremely high sensitivity.     

Molecular organization in SAMs used for neuronal cell growth

The attachment of cells onto solid supports is fundamental in the development of advanced biosensors or biochips. In this work, we characterize cortical neuron adhesion, growth, and distribution of an adhesive layer, depending on the molecular structure and composition . Neuronal networks are successfully grown on amino-terminated alkanethiol self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on a gold substrate without adhesion protein interfaces. Neuron adhesion efficiency was studied for amino-terminated, carboxy-terminated, and 1:1 mixed alkanethiol SAMs deposited on gold substrates. Atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to measure the roughness of gold substrate and thickness of SAM monolayers. Conformational ordering and ionic content of SAMs were characterized by vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy. Only pure amino-terminated SAMs provide efficient neuronal cell attachment. Ordering of the terminal amino groups does not affect efficiency of neuron adhesion. VSFG analysis shows that ordering of the terminal groups improves with decreasing surface roughness; however the number of gauche defects in alkane chains is independent of surface roughness. We monitor partial dissociation of carboxy groups in mixed SAMs that implies formation of NH3+ neighbors and appearance of catanionic structure. Such catanionic environment proved inefficient for neuron adhesion. Surface roughness of metal within the 0.7-2 nm range has little effect on the efficiency of neuron adhesion. This approach can be used to create new methods that help map structure-property relationships of biohybrid systems.     

Mechanism underlying bioinertness of self-assembled monolayers of oligo(ethyleneglycol)-terminated alkanethiols on gold: protein adsorption, platelet adhesion, and surface forces

The mechanism underlying the bioinertness of the self-assembled monolayers of oligo(ethylene glycol)-terminated alkanethiol (OEG-SAM) was investigated with protein adsorption experiments, platelet adhesion tests, and surface force measurements with an atomic force microscope (AFM). In this work, we performed systematic analysis with SAMs having various terminal groups (-OEG, -OH, -COOH, -NH(2), and -CH(3)). The results of the protein adsorption experiment by the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method suggested that having one EG unit and the neutrality of total charges of the terminal groups are essential for protein-resistance. In particular, QCM with energy dissipation analyses indicated that proteins absorb onto the OEG-SAM via a very weak interaction compared with other SAMs. Contrary to the protein resistance, at least three EG units as well as the charge neutrality of the SAM are found to be required for anti-platelet adhesion. When the identical SAMs were formed on both AFM probe and substrate, our force measurements revealed that only the OEG-SAMs possessing more than two EG units showed strong repulsion in the range of 4 to 6 nm. In addition, we found that the SAMs with other terminal groups did not exhibit such repulsion. The repulsion between OEG-SAMs was always observed independent of solution conditions [NaCl concentration (between 0 and 1 M) and pH (between 3 and 11)] and was not observed in solution mixed with ethanol, which disrupts the three-dimensional network of the water molecules. We therefore concluded that the repulsion originated from structured interfacial water molecules. Considering the correlation between the above results, we propose that the layer of the structured interfacial water with a thickness of 2 to 3 nm (half of the range of the repulsion observed in the surface force measurements) plays an important role in deterring proteins and platelets from adsorption or adhesion.     

Synthesis and Surface‐Spectroscopic Characterization of Photoisomerizable glyco‐SAMs on Au(111)

Photoisomerizable glyco‐SAMs (self‐assembled monolayers), utilizing synthetic azobenzene glycoside derivatives were fabricated. The ultimate goal of this project is to assay the influence of the 3D arrangement of sugar ligands on cell adhesion, and eventually make cell adhesion photoswitchable. However, it is a prerequisite for any biological study on the spatial conditions of carbohydrate recognition, that photoisomerization of the surface molecules can be verified. Here, we employed IRRAS and XPS to spectroscopically characterize glyco‐SAMs. In particular and unprecedented to date, we prove reversible E→Z→E isomerization of azobenzene glycoside‐terminated SAMs.     

Thiol-mediated anchoring of ligands to self-assembled monolayers for studies of biospecific interactions

We report a method to immobilize thiol-containing ligands onto self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiolates presenting chloracetylated hexa(ethylene glycol) groups. The chloroacetyl groups react with thiols under mild basic conditions, enabling the stable immobilization of biologically active ligands in a well-defined orientation. These SAMs on gold are well suited for studies of biospecific interactions of immobilized ligands with proteins and cells. As a demonstration, we functionalized these SAMs with thiol-containing derivatives of biotin and benzene sulfonamide and observed the specific binding of neutravidin and carbonic anhydrase, respectively. We also used this method to generate mixed SAMs presenting the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide sequence and demonstrated the integrin-mediated adhesion of fibroblast cells to these SAMs. This approach would allow the immobilization of proteins and other sensitive biomolecules and ligands for a wide variety of applications in biotechnology.     

Chemical force microscopy study of adhesive properties of polypropylene films: influence of surface polarity and medium

The adhesive properties of untreated and corona treated polypropylene (PP) films were studied in polar (water) and nonpolar (hexadecane) liquid medium by using chemical force microscopy. A gold-coated colloidal probe was sequentially modified with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of omega-functionalized alkanethiols. The same colloidal probe was used for the force measurements, to avoid influence of determination accuracy of the spring constant and sphere radius on the obtained results. The thermodynamic work of adhesion was determined from the measured pull-off force using the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) adhesion theory. Rabinovich's model was applied for the consideration of an effect of roughness when calculating the work of adhesion. It was found that the work of adhesion correlates with the hydrophilic properties of the PP surface and SAMs as well as with the polarity of the liquid medium. The observed correlations agree well with those found for the work of adhesion calculated from contact angle measurement.     

Combined effect of chain length and phase state on adhesion/friction behavior of self-assembled monolayers

The combined effects of phase state and chain length on the adhesion and friction behavior of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are demonstrated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The phase state of n-alkyltrichlorosilane monolayers of varying chain length (C-8, C-12, and C-18) was controlled by adjusting the preparation temperature. The adhesion forces and friction coefficients were observed to increase dramatically around the phase-transition temperature of each monolayer. The phase state effect was more prominent for the longer chain SAMs, which is attributed to the larger deformation volume associated with disordered monolayers. The adhesion/friction diagram for chain length effect with a wide range of phase states is successfully presented. This study reveals that the chain length effect on adhesion/friction can be correctly evaluated by examining the phase-state dependence of adhesion/friction behind the chain length effect.     

末端硫醇化的甲氧基聚乙二醇分子自组装膜电极对碘离子的电化学分析研究

碘离子的测量方法有化学法和电化学方法等多种,电化学方法有离子选择性电极、阴极溶出伏安法等［１,２］,但以上方法易受共存离子的干扰．自组装膜修饰电极具有分子识别功能,因而可用于特定物质的检测［３］．末端硫醇化的聚乙二醇分子在金电极表面形成自组装膜后具有分子识别特性［４］,碘离子和聚乙二醇膜有较好的相容性,可以进入膜内进而到达电极表面进行反应,而其它干扰离子较难进入．因而,该膜电极能用于碘离子测定,检测下限低,并具有较强的抗干扰能力．１　实验部分１．１　试剂及仪器　甲氧基聚乙二醇（ＭＷ＝５０００）等…     

Tunable resistive m-dPEG acid patterns on polyelectrolyte multilayers at physiological conditions: template for directed deposition of biomacromolecules

This paper describes a new class of salt-responsive poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on top of polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEMs) films. PEM surfaces with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) as the topmost layer are chemically patterned by microcontact printing (muCP) oligomeric PEG molecules with an activated carboxylic acid terminal group (m-dPEG acid). The resistive m-d-poly(ethylene glycol) (m-dPEG) acid molecules on the PEMs films were subsequently removed from the PEM surface with salt treatment, thus converting the nonadhesive surfaces into adhesive surfaces. The resistive PEG patterns facilitate the directed deposition of various macromolecules such as polymers, dyes, colloidal particles, proteins, liposomes, and nucleic acids. Further, these PEG patterns act as a universal resist for different types of cells (e.g., primary cells, cell lines), thus permitting more flexibility in attaching a wide variety of cells to material surfaces. The patterned films were characterized by optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The PEG patterns were removed from the PEM surface at certain salt conditions without affecting the PEM films underneath the SAMs. Removal of the PEG SAMs and the stability of the PEM films underneath it were characterized with ellipsometry and optical microscopy. Such salt- and pH-responsive surfaces could lead to significant advances in the fields of tissue engineering, targeted drug delivery, materials science, and biology.     

Chemical force spectroscopy in heterogeneous systems: intermolecular interactions involving epoxy polymer,mixed monolayers,and polar solvents

We used chemical force microscopy (CFM) to study adhesive forces between surfaces of epoxy resin and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) capable of hydrogen bonding to different extents. The influence of the liquid medium in which the experiments were carried out was also examined systematically. The molecular character of the tip, polymer, and liquid all influenced the adhesion. Complementary macroscopic contact angle measurements were used to assist in the quantitative interpretation of the CFM data. A direct correlation between surface free energy and adhesion forces was observed in mixed alcohol-water solvents. An increase in surface energy from 2 to 50 mJ/m(2) resulted in an increase in adhesion from 4-8 nN to 150-300 nN for tips with radii of 50-150 nm. The interfacial surface energy for identical nonpolar surface groups of SAMs was found not to exceed 2 mJ/m(2). An analysis of adhesion data suggests that the solvent was fully excluded from the zone of contact between functional groups on the tip and sample. With a nonpolar SAM, the force of adhesion increased monotonically in mixed solvents of higher water content; whereas, with a polar SAM (one having a hydrogen bonding component), higher water content led to decreased adhesion. The intermolecular force components theory was used for the interpretation of adhesion force measurements in polar solvents. Competition between hydrogen bonding within the solvent and hydrogen bonding of surface groups and the solvent was shown to provide the main contribution to adhesion forces. We demonstrate how the trends in the magnitude of the adhesion forces for chemically heterogeneous systems (solvents and surfaces) measured with CFM can be quantitatively rationalized using the surface tension components approach. For epoxy polymer, inelastic deformations also contributed heavily to measured adhesion forces.     

Chemical Force Microscopy Study of Adhesion and Friction between Surfaces Functionalized with Self-Assembled Monolayers and Immersed in Solvents

Adhesive and frictional forces between surfaces modified with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and immersed in solvents were measured with chemical force microscopy as functions of surface functionality and solvent. Si/SiO2 substrates were modified with SAMs of alkylsiloxanes (SiCl3(CH2)n-X), and gold-coated AFM tips were modified with SAMs of alkylthiolates (HS-(CH2)n-X). SAMs of alkylsiloxanes terminated in a methyl or oxidized vinyl group; SAMs of alkanethiolates terminated in a methyl or carboxyl group. Adhesive and frictional forces were measured in hexadecane, ethanol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, and water. The work of adhesion (W) was calculated with the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts theory of adhesive contact. The JKR values agreed well with values derived from the Fowkes-van Oss-Chaudhury-Good surface tension model and from contact angle results. Calculated values of W for all combinations of contacting surfaces and solvents spanned two orders of magnitude. W correlated with the surface tension of the solvent for hydrophobic/hydrophobic interactions; hydrophilic/hydrophilic and hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions were more complex. Friction forces were fit to a modified form of Amonton's law. For any solvent, friction coefficients were largest for the hydrophilic/hydrophilic contacting surfaces. The friction coefficient for any contacting pair was largest in hexadecane. In polar solvents, friction coefficients scaled with solvent polarity only for hydrophobic/hydrophobic contacting pairs. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.