Anti-protein and anti-bacterial behavior of amphiphilic silicones.

Silicones with improved water-driven surface hydrophilicity and anti-biofouling behavior were achieved when bulk-modified with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) -silane amphiphiles of varying siloxane tether length: α-(EtO)Si-(CH)-oligodimethylsiloxane --poly(ethylene oxide)-OCH ( = 0, 4, 13, 17, 24, and 30). A PEO-silane [α-(EtO)Si-(CH)-PEO-OCH] served as a conventional PEO-silane control. To examine anti-biofouling behavior in the absence versus presence of water-driven surface restructuring, the amphiphiles and control were surface-grafted onto silicon wafers and used to bulk-modify a medical-grade silicone, respectively.