Novel PEGylated Compounds and Process for Making Antifouling/Biocompatible Materials

ΓÇóDecreased Protein AttachmentΓÇóImproved ProcessΓÇóPrecise ControlΓÇóGreater Application

ΓÇóImplantable DevicesΓÇóMarine Coatings ΓÇóAntifouling Coatings

Surfaces having non-fouling characteristics are of great interest for the development of advanced materials in many different applications. In medical device applications, protein attachment can cause any number of unwanted immune reactions when exogenous materials are implanted into biological systems. Materials developed with polyethylene glycols, often referred to as PEGylated materials, are of great interest due to their protein resistance and nontoxic properties. One of the most widely used biomaterials is Polyurethane, due to its biocompatibility and its mechanical properties. Researchers at NDSU have developed a new class of PEGylated polyurethane materials using a novel process which is much more effective than traditional procedures. The resulting compounds are novel siloxane-PEG copolymers having terminal amine functionality and a backbone of siloxane having a varied number of pendant hydrophilic PEG chains. The low surface energy siloxane can aid in bringing PEG chains to the surface, and the terminal amine functionality can be bound into the polyurethane by reaction with isocyanate. Therefore, the surface of the material will be amphiphilic while the underlying polyurethane bulk will give toughness to the system. This approach allows for precise control over the number of hydrophobic PEG chains, siloxane and PEG chain lengths, and terminal amine functionality.

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