Layer-by-layer films of polysaccharides modified with poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) and poly(vinyl alcohol)

N-grafted copolymers of chitosan (460 kDa) with poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (2.4 kDa) or poly(vinyl alcohol) (2.0 ​kDa) as side chains were synthesized. Depending on the polymer-to-chitosan mass ratio the degree of amino group substitution with side chains in chitosan backbone was varied in the range of 0.01–0.33. Layer-by-layer films consisted of copolymers and dextran sulfate as polyanion were obtained. Thickness, hydrophilicity, and morphology of the films were investigated using QCM, UV-vis spectrophotometry, AFM, and contact angle measurements. The obtained films show enhanced protein-repellent properties in fetal bovine serum medium. The mass of adsorbed proteins on LbL films based on copolymer with a degree of substitution of 0.2 decreases by 50 ​% compared to unmodified chitosan. Protein-repellent properties of copolymer-based films are common for LbL films of grafted chitosan copolymers and depend on hydrophilic side chain density on the surface.