Enzymatic Surface Erosion of Poly(trimethylene carbonate) Films Studied by Atomic Force Microscopy

In this article, the surface erosion of spin-coated poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) films by lipase solutions from Thermomyces lanuginosus was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM). PTMC films (23−48 nm thick) were stable in water at 37 °C for 16 h, while after immersion in lipase solutions at 37 °C for 30 s and 1 min, the average thickness of the film decreased in time at a rate of 11.0 ± 3.7 nm/min. The initially smooth films became significantly rougher during the erosion process. When the immersion time of the films in the lipase solutions was limited to less than 5 s, degradation of the surface was minimal and individual lipase molecules adsorbed on PTMC films could be discerned. By microcontact printing of the PTMC surfaces using a patterned PDMS stamp and lipase solution for 30 s, a predefined micropattern consisting of parallel, 5-μm-wide lines lying 5-nm deep and separated at a distance of 2 μm was formed. Friction images showed differences in surface properties between the recessed and protruding lines in the pattern.