Block copolymers provide a powerful method for producing nanostructured thin films and interfaces, using microphase separation to produce bottom-up nanostructures that can, with careful control, produce well-ordered arrays and complex chemical or topological patterns. The use of functional block copolymers also provides a method to introduce a higher degree of performance into polymer films. For applications in catalysis and sensing, proteins are a particularly attractive functionality in thin films, as they impart extremely high selectivity, affinity, or catalytic rate to a material. However, successful encapsulation and stabilization of the protein on the surface remains an ongoing challenge.<br/><br/>Electrostatic interactions between a protein and a polymer can selectively drive the protein to partition into a charged polymer domain relative to a neutral polymer domain, providing a basis for patterning proteins within block copolymers. The design of polymers with water-soluble uncharged blocks and water-soluble polyelectrolyte blocks allows protein and polymer solutions to be processed in water, and protein Is specifically encapsulated in charged nanodomains when the polymers are coated onto surfaces. In a system based on poly(oligoethylene oxide methyl ether methacrylate-b-vinylpyridine), protonation of the vinylpyridine block is shown to drive microphase separation in films and bulk materials, yielding nanostructured thin films where structure can be turned on or off based on acid or base treatment. The addition of enzymes to these films yields catalytically active nanostructures that can be useful as highly selective sensors for heavy metals and as sensors for toxic organophosphate compounds.

Block copolymers with one charged block as templates for protein patterning

254th National Meeting (2017)

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