Swelling and protein adsorption characteristics of stimuli-responsive hydrogel gradients

Abstract: In this work, a gradient of interpenetrating polymer networks, consisting of anionic and cationic polymers, has been investigated with respect to protein resistant properties and swelling characteristics at different pH and ionic strength conditions. The swelling and protein adsorption have been studied using \emph{in situ} spectroscopic ellipsometry(SE) and imaging surface plasmon resonance(iSPR) respectively. It has been shown that, by altering the buffer pH, the region of lowest protein adsorption on the surface could be moved laterally. The swelling has similarly been shown to respond to both changes in pH and ionic strength. Additionally, the arise of surface charge and the polymer swelling in solution, both a consequence of the ionisation of fixed charges on the polymer, have been indicated to occur at different buffer pH. The studied polymer systems show promising properties for future applications in, for example, the biosensor area, where the surface chemistry can be tailor-made to work optimally in a given environment.