Thermally modulated retention of lymphoctytes on polymer-brush-grafted glass beads.

Thermoresponsive PIPAAm-brush-grafted glass beads are prepared through siATRP and their physicochemical properties are characterized by micro-nitrogen analysis, XPS, and contact angle measurements. The amount of grafted PIPAAm on glass bead surfaces can be controlled by varying the ATRP reaction time, leading to a modulation of the temperature-dependent wettability of the prepared surfaces. To evaluate a possible use of the beads as cell separation matrices, loading with rat lymphocytes from mesenteric lymph nodes is studied. The results show that the interaction between PIPAAm brushes and lymphocytes can be controlled by modulating PIPAAm brush length and temperature. The PIPAAm-brush-grafted beads might therefore be useful as effective cell separation matrices.