Vapor-Deposited Polymeric Biointerface to Direct Living Behavior

Polymer is often considered one of the most prevalent materials in the modern age. The interactions between polymers and a highly ubiquitous living system – bacteria – are of great interest in applications ranging from fouling control to living materials, but details of those interactions are poorly understood. The sub-micron size of most bacteria, whose sensory apparatus often operates on the nanoscale, requires precise placement of chemical functionalities and nanostructures at the synthetic-living interface. The need for nanoscale resolution challenges most traditional synthesis and processing approaches, which have been predominantly performed in solution. Recent advances in vacuum-based synthesis technologies, such as the initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition (iCVD), have enabled a new mode of control over polymeric material properties during polymerization. Distinct from prior research that has placed strong emphasis on the design of monomer molecular structure and controlled polymerization, the all-dry synthesis enables manipulation of the physical phenomena, such as nanoscale dewetting, Knudsen diffusion, and molecular complexing, to achieve programmable material properties. In this talk, we will discuss several strategies to achieve the nanoscale control over the vapor-deposited polymeric biointerface. Such control in turn led to improved understanding and manipulation of bacteria-material interactions, such as suppression of virulence. Taken together, the synthetic advances are poised to open up a new dimension in the design of polymeric materials for the programmable material-bacteria interactions, which extend beyond “kill or repel” towards signaling and control.