Type 1 Pilot Action: OR-EL doo Organska Elektronika – Optimization of the adhesion potential of polymeric carrier materials for the immobilization of biomolecules
Goal: OR-EL is a company dealing with research and development of multi-parametric diagnostic tools, with special focus on OLED technology. In the development of a new point-of-care biosensor, the improvement of immobilization of recognition biomolecules (bio-probes) on the biosensor active surface gives improvement in application. Here used polymer substrates, e.g. polyethylene (PE), with a lower surface energy tend to form intrinsically poor adhesion bonds to biomaterial without some type of surface treatment. The goal is to reach higher biomaterial immobilization with corona surface treatment and following chemically surface modification.
Approach: The PE polymeric surface is subjected to the Corona treatment that allows the formation of carboxyl groups on surface for covalent bonding of functional components. To gain these tailored surfaces the corona treated PE substrates were immersed into three different organo-functionalised silane solutions. To verify the surface modification contact angle measurements and zetapotential as well as AFM (atomic forced microscopy) measurements were carried out. For the identification of the improved immobilisation of the biomolecules fluorescent tracers were used.
Results: The successful surface modification of the polyethylene substrate could be clearly shown in the contact angle measurement due to the increase of the surface energy, in zetapotential measurement a clear shift of the zetapotential curve could the detected and in AFM the topographie of the PE surface is changed after modification. Fluoreszens-measurement showed a high amount of immobilized biomolecules.
Involved Partners: PCCL GmbH