In Situ Preparation of Star-Shaped Protein–“Smart” Polymer Conjugates with pH and Thermo-Dual Responsibility for Bacterial Separation

To achieve effective separation and enrichment of bacteria, a novel synthetic scheme was developed to synthesize star-style boronate-functionalized copolymers with excellent hydrophilicity and temperature and pH responsiveness. A hydrophilic copolymer brush was synthesized by combining surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization with amide reaction using bovine serum albumin as the core. The copolymer brush was further modified by introducing and immobilizing fluorophenylboronic acids through an amide reaction, resulting in the formation of boronate affinity material BSA@poly(NIPAm-