In this work, two antifouling polymer brushes were tested at different shear stress conditions to evaluate their performance in reducing the initial adhesion of Escherichia coli. Assays were performed using a parallel plate flow chamber and a shear stress range between 0.005 and 0.056 Pa, previously determined by numerical simulation. These shear stress values
are found in different locations in the human body where biomedical devices are placed.
The poly(MeOEGMA) and poly(HPMA) brushes were characterized and it was shown that they can reduce initial adhesion up to 90% when compared to glass. Importantly, the performance of these surfaces was not affected by the shear stress, which is an indication that they do not collapse under this
shear stress range.
Poster presented by Particia Alves during the AMiCI Workshop for Early Career Investigators (ECIs) and Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM). Riga, Latvia, 7th of March 2019