Immobilization of Bovine Serum Albumin on Poly(ether ether ketone)for Surface Biocompatibility Improvement

UV-induced graft polymerization of acrylic acid(AA) on poly(ether ether ketone)(PEEK) films was carried out to introduce ―COOH for the subsequent immobilization of bovine serum albumin(BSA). BSA was introduced on PEEK surface based on the condensation reaction between ―NH₂ and ―COOH. The modified surface (PEEK-BSA) was characterized by energy-disperse spectrometry(EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), water contact angle measurement and UV spectrum analysis. The contact angle was found to decrease from 104° for the virgin PEEK films to 63° for the BSA-immobilized PEEK films, demonstrating a significant improvement of surface hydrophilicity. Moreover, the appearance of nitrogen on PEEK film confirmed by XPS and EDS indicates the immobilization of BSA on PEEK surface.