Custom coatings

Our wide range of nanocoatings is not only available for SPR Sensor chips and slides but can be applied to other substrates as well. A flexible surface modification process allows the derivatization of many other materials with exactly defined biocoatings - such as planar monolayers or three-dimensional hydrogels with thicknesses ranging from a few nm up to one µm. You can choose from a great variety of coating materials and chemical functionalities from which a large part is listed in the sensorchip section. In addition to that, we are able to coat other substrates with different substances according to your specifications.

A selection of coatable substrate materials is listed below:

The above-mentioned nanomodifications have a great variety of applications to control surface properties of bulk materials. Some examples are:

• Bioinertization
  Surgical and blood processing biomedical devices and implants coated with polysaccharide or polyethyleneglycol layers show a greatly enhanced biocompatibility. Implant rejection and thrombosis can be reduced immensely or even be eliminated.
  As our bioinert nanolayers stabilize surfaces again protein adsorption, they can be applied to good effect to bioanalytical devices where the suppression of nonspecific interactions is one of the major bottlenecks. We are able to coat ELISA plates, biochip and sensor surfaces as well as the channels of miniaturized flow systems for lab-on-a-chip applications.
• Biofunctionalization
  In addition to a simple bioinertization, we can integrate functional biomolecules into our coatings. To give an example, cell specific growth and adhesion factors can be immobilized. For one, such coatings might be used in vivo to trigger the growth of a specific tissue. For another, you can use them ex vivo to create biocompatible walls of cell culture containers.
• Biomolecule immobilization
  Our polysaccharide nanolayers provide an excellent matrix for the covalent immobilization of proteins, peptides, nucleic acids and even small organic molecules. Using them, the immobilization capacity of surfaces is up to ten times higher than that of non-coated substrates. The immobilization process is very efficient and usually does not denaturate even sensitive biomolecules. Moreover, these surfaces are fully regenerable, i.e. it is possible to almost completely remove bound molecules which have interacted with the immobilized substance.
• Coating of ophthalmic devices
  As our polysaccharide nanolayers behave like thin hydrogels, they are able to bind a considerable amount of water. They also have a lubricating effect caused by their high surface energy. Thus, they are ideally suited for the coating of contact lenses: not only do they prevent the lens surface from being spoilt by cell debris, cosmetics, dust and dirt, solvent vapors and chemicals. They also provide a continuous layer of tear fluid on the contact lens between the blinks of the eye. This layer lubricates the tissue/lens interface and thus prevents soreness of the eyes and unwanted movement of the contact lens. Thereby, the wearing comfort of coated contact lenses is much higher than that of untreated lenses.
• Anti-fouling coatings
  Due to a high surface energy and an entropy-caused stabilizing effect of the hydrophilic polymer chains, our coatings prevent surfaces from adsorbing dirt from aequous solutions. Contaminations can be easily washed away with water - usually without using detergents.
• Anti-condensation coatings
  The hydrogel layers' hydrophilicity and their ability to retain water cause very low contact angles - usually between 0° and 10°. Water condensing on surfaces that are coated forms no droplets any more but a homogeneous film which does not affect the material's optical quality. That is why our anti-condensation coatings are well suited for optical devices which are operated in wet and humid environments and under conditions with drastic temperature changes.
• Lubricating coatings
  Lubrication - especially that of miniaturized systems which are to function in an aequous environment - is often a difficult task. Coating parts of such systems with nano-sized hydrogel layers drastically reduces friction and also prevents the adsorption of dirt and biological contaminants. For instance, lubricating coatings can be applied to instruments for minimal invasive surgery and to microsystems for bioanalytical purposes.

In a nutshell, the examples given above illustrate a selection of possible uses. Contact us for more information. We are happy to learn about new applications and to discuss how we can use our know-how in order to optimize the quality of your products.