Synthesis and characterization of hydrogels grown on surfaces by ATRP

Biocompatible polymer networks with specific structure and orientation have tremendous potential in the biomedical field (e.g., recognition of specific proteins and other biomolecules for diagnostic and therapeutic applications). The control over the growth of these polymer networks on surfaces plays a vital role, since it acts as the interface between the device and the biological medium/environment. A surface initiated polymerization (SIP) technique, specifically atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), was applied for the controlled synthesis of hydrogel systems over Au and Si substrates. Patterning using microcontact printing (XY control) followed by ATRP (Z control), and optimization of the process variables for the synthesis of hydrogels (e.g., temperature responsive) on gold and silicon surfaces were completed. Characterization was done using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fourier transform infrared imaging (FTIR).