Grafting PEG Fragments on Phynox® Substrates Modified with 11-Phosphoundecanoic Acid

Phynox, a cobalt-chromium alloy, exhibits interesting mechanical properties, making it a valuable material for several applications. However, applications as a biomaterial often require specific surface properties that can be imparted with suitable surface functionalizations. The aim of this work is to functionalize the Phynox surfaces with 11-phosphoundecanoic acid monolayers, creating a platform for a large variety of postgrafting chemical reactions, e.g., with alcohols and amines, to modify and control the surface properties. In the first part, we assess the interaction between the two terminal moieties of the 11-phosphoundecanoic acid and the Phynox surface by studying the grafting of n -dodecylphosphonic acid and n -dodecanoic acid. To illustrate the potential of the 11-phosphoundecanoic acid monolayer, we report on our first attempts to postgraft small poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) fragments by the Steglich esterification reaction between the carboxylic end of the grafted 11-phosphoundecanoic acid molecules and the alcohol function of PEG fragments. © 2009 The Electrochemical Society.