Self-Assembly-Assisted Biomolecule-Enriched Surface and High Selectivity Performance of Simple Solution-Coatable Biomimicking Brush Copolymers.

Poly(oxy(11-(biotinyl)undecylthiomethyl)ethylene-co-oxy(11-phosphoryl-cholineundecylthiomethyl)ethylene)s (PECH-BTmPCn: m = 0–100 mol % biotin (BT)-containing bristle; n = 100–0 mol % phosphorylcholine (PC)-containing bristle) were newly synthesized. All polymers exhibited excellent solution processability. They favorably self-assembled horizontal multibilayer structures in thin films with BT- and PC-enriched surfaces, which were driven by the lateral ordering of the fully extended upright bristles and the partial interdigitation between the BT and PC end groups of the bristles. Both hydrophilicity and water sorption of the films increased with the PC content. The PECH-BT100 films revealed remarkably distinctive sensitivity, selectivity, and adsorption ability for avidin against other proteins. Such remarkable performance was further significantly enhanced on the PECH-BTmPCn films in which PC moieties were incorporated to the BT-rich surface; in particular, the PECH-BT75PC25 films demonstrated the highest...