Stable Protein-Repellent Zwitterionic Polymer Brushes Grafted from Silicon Nitride

Zwitterionic poly(sulfobetaine acrylamide) (SBMAA) brushes were grafted from silicon-rich silicon nitride (SixN4, x > 3) surfaces by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and studied in protein adsorption experiments. To this aim ATRP initiators were immobilized onto SixN4 through stable Si−C linkages via three consecutive reactions. A UV-induced reaction of 1,2-epoxy-9-decene with hydrogen-terminated SixN4 surfaces was followed by...