Quantifying Thermoswitchable Carbohydrate-Mediated Interactions via Soft Colloidal Probe Adhesion Studies.

Thermosensitive polymers enable externally controllable biomolecular interactions but hysteresis effects hamper the reversibility and repeated use of these materials. To quantify the temperature-dependent interactions and hysteresis effects, an optical adhesion assay based on poly(ethylene glycol) microgels (soft colloidal probes, SCPs) with mannose binding concanavalin A surfaces is used. A series of thermoresponsive glycopolymers is synthesized varying the carbohydrate type, their density, and linker type, and then grafted to the SCPs.