We investigated the composition, properties, and utility of a novel co
polymer of P(AAm-co-EG) designed to be an adaptable, durable, and bioc
ompatible surface treatment of metallic, polymeric, and ceramic materi
als. Solution deposition and photoinitiation reactions were employed t
o graft, a silane layer and then two sequential polymer layers(a disco
ntinuous two stage polymerization) onto oxide surfaces. Different solv
ents, polymer concentrations, and cross-linker concentrations in the t
op polymer layer were compared. Contact angle measurements, spectrosco
pic ellipsometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to ch
aracterize layer wettability, thickness, and chemistry, respectively A
sandwich type network formed between acrylamide and poly(ethylene gly
col) when acetone was used as the solvent for both layers. In contrast
, an interpenetrating polymer network between acrylamide and poly(ethy
lene glycol) formed when acetone and methanol were used as the solvent
s for polymerization of the acrylamide and poly(ethylene glycol) layer
s, respectively. Interpenetrating polymer network configured samples w
ere tested for protein adsorption and strength of cell attachment. Pro
tein adsorption experiments in 15% fetal bovine serum indicated that s
ignificant amounts of protein do not adsorb to the surface of the thin
polymer films (similar to 20 nm). Cell detachment experiments indicat
ed that cells contacting copolymer-modified surfaces were removed by l
ower shear stresses than cells contacting clean and amine-terminated,
(N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl)-trimethoxysilane modified surfaces.