<title>Enhanced blood compatibility of silicon coated with a self-assembled poly(ethylene glycol) and monomethoxypoly(ethylene glycol)</title>

Silicon biomedical microdevices generally require surface modifications to improve their biocompatibility. ONe of the challenges in the field is the development of molecular coatings for devices with nanofeatures.In this paper we report the results of our investigation of synthetic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and monomethoxypoly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) coatings incorporating functional groups that in turn immobilize self-assembled monolayers. The properties of the modified surfaces were characterized by ellipsometry and scanning electron microscopy. Protein adsorption as well as platelet adhesion to the treated surfaces were studied to evaluate the non-fouling property of the PEG-enriched surface layers. Both PEG- and MPEG-modified surfaces showed significant suppression in plasma protein adsorption and platelet adhesion.