Polymer adsorption on surfaces is one area of research that blends our interests in surface science and polymer materials. The goal here is to answer long-standing questions about the effect of physical and chemical heterogeneity of surfaces on adsorption of polymers at a solid surface.  

The research is motivated by the common occurrence of heterogeneity on real surfaces and the widespread applicability of polymer adsorption in adhesion, lubrication, control of cell adhesion to surfaces, and biocompatibility of surfaces. 

To control surface heterogeneity, self-assembled monolayers are used for molecular design of surfaces. In the first experiments of their kind, our research group has explored the adsorption of flexible polymers (neutral, cationic, and anionic) as well as globular proteins from aqueous solutions onto planar surfaces that either possess physical heterogeneity of a few nanometers but are chemically homogeneous or surfaces that chemically patchy on the nanometer length scale.

· Yu-Wen Huang and V. K. Gupta, "An SPR and AFM Study of the Effect of Surface Heterogeneity on the Adsorption of Proteins", J Chemical Physics, 121(5), 2264-2271 (2004).

· Vinay K. Gupta and Yu-Wen Huang, "Adsorption of Flexible Polymers and Globular Proteins on Surfaces with Nanometer Scale Heterogeneity", In Encylcopedia of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Editors: J. A. Schwarz, C. Contescu, K. Putyera, Marcel-Dekker, Inc., New York (NY), p23-34 (2004).

· Yu-Wen Huang, Kyoung-Yong Chun, and V. K. Gupta, "Adsorption of a Polyelectrolyte on Surfaces with Nanometer Sized Chemical Heterogeneity", Langmuir, 19(6), 2175-2180 (2003).

· Kyoung-Yong Chun, Yu-Wen Huang, and V. K. Gupta, "Polymer Adsorption on Nano-heterogeneous Surfaces: Impact of Size and Density of Heterogeneous Sites", J Chemical Physics, 118(7), 3252-3256 (2003).

· Vinay K. Gupta, Yu-Wen Huang, and Kyoung-Yong Chun, "Role of nanometer scale heterogeneity of surfaces in the adsorption of macromolecules", Recent Research Developments in Macromolecules, S. G. Pandalai (Ed.), Research Signpost, Trivandrum (India), Volume 6 (2002)

· Yu-Wen Huang and Vinay K. Gupta, "Influence of Polymer Flux and Chain Length on the Adsorption of Poly(ethylene oxide) on Physically Heterogeneous Surfaces”, Langmuir, 18, 2280-2287 (2002).

· Yu-Wen Huang and Vinay K. Gupta, "Effects of Physical Heterogeneity on the Adsorption of Poly(ethylene oxide) at a Solid-Liquid Interface”, Macromolecules, 34, 3757-3764 (2001).