Inspired by the multifaceted functionalities of polyphenols such as tannic acids in nature, we demonstrate the formation of thin reactive cross-linked polyphenol coatings on diverse material surfaces, and the subsequent conjugation of a broad range of proteins on these coatings (e.g. IgG, avidin, and various single and multidomain enzymes on nanoporous cellulose and alumina, steel, and polyester fabric). Higher activities and wider processing pH and material compatibility are demonstrated with polyphenol surfaces than other approaches such as polydopamine (e.g. up to 2.2 and 4.8 mg/m<sup>2</sup> active phosphatase immobilized on polyphenol coated cellulose and polyester, respectively). Enzyme assays, XPS, silver staining, supplemented with contact angle, solid-state <sup>13</sup>C NMR, HPLC, and MS measurements were used to characterize the polyphenols, the coatings, and protein layers. The pH used during polyphenol crosslinking is shown to directly modify immobilized enzyme activities. Interestingly, the optimum pH for activity is however different from the optimum for amount of proteins immobilized, suggesting that different cross-linking pH induces different chemical states in the polyphenol layer that in turn lead to different levels of protein activity retention during the conjugation process. Our results also indicate that polyphenol coatings differ from polydopamine mainly because of the elimination of amine groups, and that polyphenol layers with intermediate levels of reactivity may better lead to high immobilized protein activity. Overall, an improved understanding of simple-to-use cross-linked polyphenol coatings has been obtained, which will enable their application in various fields from biomedicine to enzyme technology.

Plant-based polyphenol coatings for preparing highly active protein surfaces

2019 Spring National Meeting

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