Methodology to study polymers interaction by surface plasmon resonance imaging

The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique has been primarily used in the field of biology, in particular for the study of antibody-antigen interactions. Recently, polymers were introduced to form inclusion complexes. We describe here, a methodology based on surface plasmon resonance imaging to study water-resistant and reversible inclusion complexes using systems which are compatible with a cosmetic use. The purpose of this study is to follow in real time the interaction between two polymers. To carry out this study: •A biochip based on a covalent binding of one "host polymer" on a gold-activated surface was developed.•The binding of the host polymer to a guest polymer was monitored.•The presence of interactions between the β-cyclodextrins groups of the host polymer and the adamantyl functional groups of the guest polymer and the possibility of dissociating the complex were established. This technique allowed carrying out parallel assays for optimizing the amount of complexes formed, the host polymer being spotted at five concentrations. It was then possible to study the influence of the concentration in host system for two concentrations of the guest polymer. The concentration in the host polymer yielding the highest immobilization of the guest system was further determined.