Image Printing on the Surface of Anti-Biofouling Zwitterionic Polymer Brushes by Ion Beam Irradiation

A CMB monomer was polymerized on a glass plate with a surface‐confined ATRP initiator containing a 2‐bromoisobutyryl group. The glass plate modified with a PCMB brush was highly hydrophilic and showed a strong resistance against non‐specific adsorption of proteins and cell adhesion. Upon ion beam irradiation, furthermore, the PCMB brush was ablated and a hollow space with a designed shape could be made to which HEK293 cells (from human embryonic kidney) and Hep G2 (from human hepatoma) cells non‐specifically adhered, while no adhesion of these cells to the non‐treated area on the brush was observed. The present results clearly indicate the usefulness of ion beam‐printed patterns of anti‐biofouling zwitterionic polymer brushes in the biomedical field. Polymer brushes of carboxymethylbetaine prepared by surface‐initiated ATRP on a glass substrate show a strong resistance against non‐specific adsorption of proteins. Furthermore, upon ion beam irradiation a hollow space with a designed shape can be made on the glass substrate, and both HEK293 and Hep G2 cells adhere non‐specifically to the space, forming aggregates, while no adhesion is observed to the non‐treated area on the brushes.