We report initiated chemical vapor deposition of model-graded polymer coatings enabling antibacterial, antifouling, and biocompatible surfaces. The graded coating was constructed by a bottom layer consisting of bactericidal poly(dimethyl amino methyl styrene) and a surface layer consisting of both dimethyl amino methyl styrene (DMAMS) and hydrophilic vinyl pyrrolidone (VP) moieties. Fourier transform infrared spectra showed existence of both DMAMS and VP in the coating with DMAMS as the major component, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis and water contact angle measurement revealed a VP-enriched coating surface. The resultant coating exhibited more than 99.9% killing rate against both Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis despite the incorporation of VP on the surface. We believe that such bactericidal capability resulted because of its high surface zeta potential, which could be originated from the DMAMS units distributed both on the top surface and underneath. The graded coating achieved more than 85% bacterial fouling resistance than the pristine substrate, as well as improved biocompatibility, owing to the abundant surface lactam groups from the VP moiety. Furthermore, the graded coating maintained good bactericidal capability after multicycle challenges of bacterial solutions and was durable against continuous rigorous washing, suggesting potential applications in biomedical devices.
Keywords: antibacterial; antifouling; biocompatible; graded coating; initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD).