One‐Step Co‐Deposition of Phase‐Transited Protein and Zwitterionic Polymers for Robust Antifouling and Lubricious Coatings

ABSTRACT

Developing protective coatings with desirable antifouling and lubricating capabilities is crucial for the long‐term performance of implantable and interventional medical devices. However, stably immobilising functional materials onto diverse substrates without complex pretreatment remains a major challenge. Herein, we report a ‘one‐step co‐deposition’ strategy to prepare multifunctional coatings by synergising the amyloid‐like phase transition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with zwitterionic polymers. Phase‐transited BSA (PTB), generated via rapid amyloid‐like aggregation induced by the reduction of intramolecular disulfide bonds using tris(2‐carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP), acts as a robust interfacial anchor. This anchor embeds zwitterionic polymers—including poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA), poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) (PCBMA) and poly(2‐methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC)—into a dense protein network, realising the rapid functionalisation of various material surfaces (e.g., metals, inorganic ceramics and hydrophobic polymers), forming ultrathin and superhydrophilic coatings. The resulting coatings exhibit outstanding resistance to nonspecific biofouling, inhibiting the adsorption from complex biological fluids, proteins and lipids by over 90%. Also, the strongly hydrated zwitterionic polymers enable an efficient lubrication ability, reducing the friction coefficient to an ultralow range of 0.005–0.015 under physiological conditions. This work presents a facile strategy that simultaneously integrates exceptional antifouling and ultra‐lubricating properties, offering great potential for tailoring multifunctional surfaces on biomedical devices for bioengineering applications.