Thiol-functionalized substrates were fabricated by reacting silicon wafers with either mercaptopropylalkoxysilanes or thiol-functionalized polydimethylsiloxanes. The two approaches and the reaction variants used within allowed us to prepare thiol-functionalized substrates with a wide range of density and flexibility/accessibility. Unfortunately, the thiol layers as prepared were rough and non-uniform due to disulfide bond formation between reagent molecules. Reducing agents, such as dithiothreitol, applied either during or subsequent to the modification reactions were found necessary to generate smooth and uniform thiol layers. The thiol-functionalized substrates were subsequently evaluated as platforms for conjugations of molecules of biological interest. In one system, vinyl-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) was “clicked” to the substrates via thiol-ene photochemistry to minimize non-specific protein adsorption. In a parallel system, proteins were covalently attached to the thiol-functionalized substrates via disulfide bond formation or thiol-disulfide exchange reaction. In addition to protein activity assays, the substrates are characterized using ellipsometry, contact angle goniometry, and atomic force microscopy before and after each reaction.

Smooth and uniform thiol-functionalized substrates for bioconjugations

249th National Meeting (2015)

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