The main objective of this work was to assess the cell sheet fabrication of a newly designed thermo-responsive polymer. Thermo-responsive diblock copolymers of poly(Nisopropylacrylamide)-block-polystyrene (PNIPAM-b-PS) with different block ratios were synthesized via sequential reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The prepared copolymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and gel permeation chromatography techniques in terms of molecular weight and composition. Physical adsorption was employed to prepare thermoresponsive films. Employing atomic force microscopy (AFM) and water contact angle (WCA) measurements, we found that the PNIPAM-b-PS diblock copolymer coatings showed a temperature-triggered phase transition in water through the reversible hydration of PNIPAM segments. Thermo-responsive PNIPAM-b-PS coatings were utilized as functional substrates for human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) adhesion and detachment. By adjusting PNIPAM to PS segments ratio, HDFs successfully detached from the PNIPAM-b-PS spin-coated tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) substrates in a temperature-induced manner.
