Construction of viscoelastic biocompatible films via the layer-by-layer assembly of hyaluronan and phosphorylcholine-modified chitosan

Films of hyaluronan (HA) and a phosphorylcholine-modified chitosan (PC-CH) were constructed by the polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) deposition technique and their buildup in 0.15 M NaCl was followed by atomic force microscopy, surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR), and dissipative quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The HA/PC-CH films were stable over a wide pH range (3.0-12.0), exhibiting a stronger resistance against alkaline conditions as compared to HA/CH films. The loss and storage moduli, G' and G′, of the films throughout the growth of eight bilayer assemblies were derived from an impedance analysis of the QCM data recorded in situ. Both G' and G′ values were one order of magnitude lower than the moduli of HA/CH films. The fluid gel-like characteristics of HA/PC-CH multilayers were attributed to their high water content (50 wt %), which was estimated by comparing the surface coverage values derived from SPR and QCM measurements. Given the versatility of the PEM methodology, HA/PC-CH films are attractive tools for developing biocompatible surface coatings of controlled mechanical properties.