[paper accepted] Interfacial water barriers on zwitterionic and nonionic SAMs

Nonionic oligo(ethylene glycol) and zwitterionic sulfobetaine SAMs resist proteins and cells to a similar extent despite their different chemistry. By combining AFM surface force measurements with surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy, we show that the two surfaces form contrasting interfacial water barriers, with different hydrogen-bonding states of the interfacial water.

Zhentao Zhao, Elisa Margarita Mendoza Zamarripa, Shigeaki Morita, Evan Angelo Quimada Mondarte, Ryongsok Chang, Chia-Ying Chiang, Tomohiro Hayashi. “Thin but Strong Versus Thick but Soft: Contrasting Interfacial Water Barriers on Zwitterionic and Nonionic Antibiofouling Self-Assembled Monolayers”. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B (2026).