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Andra Dedinaite

Publications and source records attributed to Andra Dedinaite.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Chitosan-N-poly(ethylene oxide) brush polymers for reduced nonspecific protein adsorption.

The possibility of using a novel comb polymer consisting of a chitosan backbone with grafted 44 units long poly(ethylene oxide) side chains for reducing nonspecific protein adsorption to gold surfaces functionalized by COOH-terminated thiols has been explored. The comb polymer was attached to the surface in three different ways: by solution adsorption, covalent coupling, and microcontact printing. The protein repellent properties were tested by monitoring the adsorption of bovine serum albumin and fibrinogen employing surface plasmon resonance and imaging null ellipsometry. It was found that a significant reduction in protein adsorption is achieved as the comb polymer layer is sufficiently dense. For solution adsorption this was achieved by adsorption from high pH solutions. On the other hand, the best performance of the microcontact printed surfaces was obtained when the stamp was inked either at low or at high pH. For a given comb polymer layer thickness/poly(ethylene oxide) density, significant differences in protein repellent properties were observed between the different preparation methods, and it is suggested that a reduction in the mobility of the comb polymer layer generated by covalent attachment favors a reduced protein adsorption.

Adsorption↗

Mucin-chitosan complexes at the solid-liquid interface: multilayer formation and stability in surfactant solutions.

The adsorption of a biologically important glycoprotein, mucin, and mucin-chitosan complex layer formation on negatively charged surfaces, silica and mica, have been investigated employing ellipsometry, the interferometric surface apparatus, and atomic force microscopy techniques. Particular attention has been paid to the effect of an anionic surfactant sodium, dodecyl sulfate (SDS), with respect to the stability of the adsorption layers. It has been shown that mucin adsorbs on negatively charged surfaces to form highly hydrated layers. Such mucin layers readily associate with surfactants and are easily removed from the surfaces by rinsing with solutions of SDS at concentrations > or =0.2 cmc (1 cmc SDS in 30 mM NaCl is equal to 3.3 mM). The mucin adsorption layer is negatively charged, and we show how a positively charged polyelectrolyte, chitosan, associates with the preadsorbed mucin to form mucin-chitosan complexes that resist desorption by SDS even at SDS concentrations as high as 1 cmc. Thus, a method of mucin layer protection against removal by surfactants is offered. Further, we show how mucin-chitosan multilayers can be formed.

Binding Sites↗

Polyelectrolyte-mediated surface interactions.

The current understanding of interactions between surfaces coated with polyelectrolytes is reviewed. Experimental data obtained with various surface force techniques are reported and compared with theoretical predictions. The majority of the studies concerned with interactions between polyelectrolyte-coated surfaces deal with polyelectrolytes adsorbed to oppositely charged surfaces, and this is also the main focus of this review. However, we also consider polyelectrolytes adsorbed to uncharged surfaces and to similarly charged surfaces, areas where theoretical predictions are available, but relevant experimental data are mostly lacking. We also devote sections to interactions between polyelectrolyte brush-layers and to interactions due to non-adsorbing polyelectrolytes. Here, a sufficient amount of both theoretical and experimental studies are reported to allow us to comment on the agreement between theory and experiments. A topic of particular interest is the presence of trapped non-equilibrium states that often is encountered in experiments, but difficult to treat theoretically.

Adsorption↗

Polyelectrolytes as adhesion modifiers.

Adsorbed layers of polyelectrolytes have been studied with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the interferometric surface force apparatus (SFA). Particular emphasis was put on determining the effect of the polyelectrolyte charge density on surface topography, and the effect of the polyelectrolyte coating on the adhesive properties. The AFM was employed to image individual polymer chains at low adsorption densities and to characterize the layer topography and coverage at higher adsorption densities. The adhesive properties between two polyelectrolyte-coated surfaces in air were determined as a function of the number of contacts made at any given spot. The data provide evidence for formation of electrostatic bridges, particularly when highly charged polyelectrolytes are used. Further, material transport between the surfaces is observed when the polyelectrolyte is either highly charged or have a very low charge density. For intermediate charge densities we could not observe any indication of material transfer. The adhesion between one polyelectrolyte-coated surface and one bare surface was initially higher than that between two polyelectrolyte-coated surfaces. However, due to material transfer between the two surfaces the adhesion decreased significantly with the number of times that the surfaces were driven into contact. For the polyelectrolytes of the lowest charge density the results suggest that entanglement effects contribute to the adhesive interaction. The modification of the adhesion by polyelectrolytes in practical systems such as in the case of dry-strength additives to improve paper resistance is also considered.

Adsorption↗