Design of new highly functional polymer grafted polyhipes for proteins immobilization

PolyHIPE have proven to be useful in a large variety of applications included column filtration/separation, supported organic chemistry, as media for tissue engineering and 3D cell culture.1 The ability to conveniently modify pHIPE surfaces with functional groups is essential to opening new applications areas. The most promising method to conveniently modify pHIPE surface with a high density of functional groups is the “grafting from” approach. Stable polymer brushes covalently attached to the surface posses excellent mechanical and chemical robustness and offer the flexibility to introduce a large variety of functional monomers.2 We developed a new and unique pHIPE platform by incorporation of a polymerizable monomer with amino group into the HIPE available for different post in situ polymerization. The pHIPE with amino groups on the surface (pHIPE-NH2) can be directly used for the ring opening polymerization of amino acids N-carboxyanhydrates (NCAs) monomers to make pHIPE-g-polypeptide (such as pHIPE-g-poly(L-Benzyl Glutamate)) or easily converted to an atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiator for activators generated electron transfer (AGET) ATRP of tert-Butyl acrylate monomers. The polymers grafted can be deprotected to form pHIPE-g-poly(glutamic acid) or pHIPE-g-poly(acrylic acid) with reactive groups, on the surface of the pHIPE, available for further bioconjugation.