Protein Adsorption and Bacterial Adhesion Resistance of Cross‐linked Copolymer Hydrogels Based on Poly(2‐methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) and Poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)

Herein, the preparation of the cross‐linked copolymer hydrogels composed of various weight ratios of 2‐methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) monomers employing free‐radical polymerization was reported. The integration of the MPC monomer into HEMA‐based hydrogels showed good transmittance (>90%) and enhanced the water content retention (79–202%) relative to those of pure HEMA‐based hydrogel. Notably, the MPC‐containing hydrogels (MPC‐H) exhibited the improved anti‐biofouling properties due to the formation of a compact hydration layer produced by the biomimetic MPC units at the hydrogel surface. MPC‐H exhibited a decrease in the bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme adsorption of approximately 40–70% and 44–65%, respectively, relative to those of control hydrogel without MPC monomer. The results presented herein demonstrate the potential of expending biocompatible monomers such as HEMA and MPC to efficiently generate a biomaterial that possesses both bio‐membrane mimicking character and protein and bacterial resistant properties for various industrial and biomedical applications.