Anionic Polymer Brushes for Biomimetic Calcium Phosphate Mineralization—A Surface with Application Potential in Biomaterials

• Main Authors: Tobias Mai, Karol Wolski, Agnieszka Puciul-Malinowska, Alexey Kopyshev, Ralph Gräf, Michael Bruns, Szczepan Zapotoczny, Andreas Taubert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-10-01
• Series: Polymers
• Subjects: polymer brushes; calcium phosphate; hydroxyapatite; carbonated apatite; bone mimic; biocompatibility; Dictyostelium discoideum
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/10/10/1165

This article describes the synthesis of anionic polymer brushes and their mineralization with calcium phosphate. The brushes are based on poly(3-sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium salt) providing a highly charged polymer brush surface. Homogeneous brushes with reproducible thicknesses are obtained via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. Mineralization with doubly concentrated simulated body fluid yields polymer/inorganic hybrid films containing AB-Type carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHAP), a material resembling the inorganic component of bone. Moreover, growth experiments using Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae demonstrate that the mineral-free and the mineral-containing polymer brushes have a good biocompatibility suggesting their use as biocompatible surfaces in implantology or related fields.