Surface plasmon optical studies of carboxymethyl dextran brushes versus networks

The conformational changes of carboxymethyl dextran (CMD) substrates induced by variations in pH and ionic strength were studied using surface plasmon field-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy (SPFS). A typical response was an increase in swelling upon increasing the pH and decreasing the ionic strength. Furthermore, the effects of the surface charge and cross-link density of the CMD on the degree of stimulus responses were investigated. The swelling/ collapse ratio decreased with decreasing carboxyl group surface concentration and increasing cross-link density.