Surface grafting thermoresponsive PEO-PPO-PEO chains.

The objective of this study was to engineer surfaces comprising covalently bound polyethylene oxide-polypropylene oxide-polyethylene oxide (PEO-PPO-PEO) chains, able to coil and uncoil in aqueous media, as a function of temperature. Thermoresponsive surfaces can be used in diverse areas, such as tissue engineering and 'on-command' drug delivery. The grafting scheme was exemplified using a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film and started with the exposure of the substrate to plasma of ammonia, whereby amine groups were formed on the film. In the next stage, the amine moieties reacted with the hydroxyterminated thermoresponsive PEO-PPO-PEO triblocks via the hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) coupling agent. XPS analysis of the PET film after being exposed to plasma of ammonia revealed substantial amounts of nitrogen, as revealed by the sizeable N1s peak observed at 400.2 eV. A large increase in the C1s ether peak at 286.5 eV was apparent after binding the PEO-PPO-PEO triblocks to the substrate. These findings were confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy and supported by water contact angle measurements. PEO-PPO-PEO triblocks were chain extended by reacting them with HDI, whereby longer polyether urethane chains were formed. The long thermoresponsive chains produced (P-F127) were then tethered to the PET surface, following the procedure used to graft the shorter F127 triblocks. The thermoresponsiveness of the surface was demonstrated by measuring the water contact angle of the P-F127-containing surfaces as a function of temperature.