An X‐ray Spectromicroscopy Study of Albumin Adsorption to Crosslinked Polyethylene Oxide Films

Abstract Synchrotron‐based X‐ray photoemission electron microscopy (X‐PEEM) is used to characterize the near surface composition of polyethylene oxide (PEO) combined with 1.5, 5, and 10 wt.‐% pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) crosslinker. It is found that as the concentration of PETA increases, it becomes the dominant component in the top 10 nm of the film surface. The same surfaces are also exposed to human serum albumin (HSA) and the distributions of the protein relative to PEO and PETA measured with X‐PEEM. A positive correlation is found between levels of PETA and HSA at the surface. Above PETA concentrations of 5 wt.‐%, HSA adsorption is significant, which suggests high levels of PETA (often used to immobilize PEO by crosslinking) can significantly reduce the non‐fouling properties of PEO.