P. Claesson, POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE) SURFACE-COATINGS - RELATIONS BETWEEN INTERMOLECULAR FORCES, LAYER STRUCTURE AND PROTEIN REPELLENCY, Colloids and surfaces. A, Physicochemical and engineering aspects, 77(2), 1993, pp. 109-118
The adsorption of some ethylene oxide-containing surfactants and polym
ers has been studied using the surface force technique. The forces act
ing between surfaces coated with such surfactants and polymers have be
en investigated as a function of temperature. For all ethylene oxide-c
ontaining molecules studied, the general trends of the temperature dep
endence of the surface forces and the structure of the adsorbed layer
can be rationalised by considering the temperature dependence of the i
nteraction between the ethylene oxide group and water. The different p
olymers and surfactants differ, however, in terms of surface affinity
and in terms of the range of the surface forces. Knowledge of the surf
ace forces acting between poly(ethylene oxide) layers can be used to e
stablish why such coatings show a low protein adsorption, particularly
at low temperatures.