Zwitterionic polymers having biomimetic adhesive linkages

1. A polymer, comprising:

(a) polymer backbone;

(b) a plurality of cationic centers, each cationic center covalently coupled to the polymer backbone by a first linker;

(c) an anionic center covalently coupled to each cationic center by a second linker; and

(d) one or more dihydroxyphenyl groups covalently coupled to the terminus of the polymer backbone.

2. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the cationic center is selected from the group consisting of ammonium, imidazolium, triazolium, pyridinium, morpholinium, oxazolidinium, pyrazinium, pyridazinium, pyrimidinium, piperazinium, pyrrolidinium, and phosphonium.

3. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the anionic center is selected from the group consisting of a carboxylic acid group (CO 2 − ), a sulfuric acid group (SO 4 −2 ), a sulfonic acid group (SO 3 − ), a sulfinic acid group (SO 2 − ), a phosphonic acid group (PO 4 −2 ), and a phosphinic acid group (PO 3 − ).

4. The polymer of claim 1 , wherein the dihydroxyphenyl group is a 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl group.

5. The polymer of claim 1 having the formula:

(DHP) m -L 3 -PB-(L 1 -N + (R a )(R b )-L 2 -A(=O)—OR c ) n

wherein

PB is the polymer backbone having n pendant groups L 1 -N + (R a )(R b )-L 2 -A(=O)—OR c ) and m dihydroxyphenyl groups covalently coupled to the polymer backbone through a linker moiety L 3 ;

DHP is a dihydroxyphenyl group;

N + is the cationic center;

R a and R b are independently selected from alkyl and aryl, or taken together with the nitrogen to which they are attached form a cationic center;

A(=O)—OR c is the anionic center, wherein R c is hydrogen or a counterion, and wherein A is selected from the group consisting of C, S, SO, P, or PO;

L 1 is a linker that covalently couples the cationic center to the polymer backbone;

L 2 is a linker that covalently couples the cationic center to the anionic center;

L 3 is a linker moiety that covalently couples the m dihydroxyphenyl groups to the polymer backbone;

n is an integer from 1 to about 1,000; and

m is from 1 to 20.

6. The polymer of claim 5 , wherein R a and R b are independently selected from the group consisting of C1-C5 straight chain and branched alkyl groups.

7. The polymer of claim 5 , wherein L 1 is selected from the group consisting of —C(═O)O—(CH 2 ) n — and —C(═O)NH—(CH 2 ) n —, wherein n is an integer from 1 to 10.

8. The polymer of claim 5 , wherein L 2 is —(CH 2 ) n —, where n is an integer from 1 to 5.

9. The polymer of claim 5 , wherein A is selected from the group consisting of C, SO, and PO 2 .

10. The polymer of claim 5 , wherein n is from about 10 to about 500.

11. The polymer of claim 5 , wherein m is 1 or 2.

12. A surface of a substrate coated with a plurality of polymers of claim 1 .

13. A method for treating a surface comprising applying a polymer of claim 1 to the surface.