Photoactivatable crosslinker compositions for surface modification

A primer coating for enhancing adhesion of a lubricious coating to a surface, the primer coating consisting of a combination of:

• (a) a crosslinking agent comprising at least two photoactivatable groups attached to a molecule, and
• (b) an initiator, wherein the initiator is not a photoactivatable crosslinker;
• wherein the crosslinking agent has a formula
• L(T-C(R1)(XP)CHR2GR3C(═O)R4)m
• wherein L is a linking group;
• T is (—CH2—)x, (—CH2CH2—O—)x, (—CH2CH2CH2—O—)x, (—CH2CH2CH2CH2—O—)x or forms a bond;
• R1 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl, alkyloxyalkyl, aryl, aryloxyalkyl or aryloxyaryl group;
• X is O, S, or NR8R9;
• P is a hydrogen atom or a protecting group, with the proviso that P is absent when X is NR8R9;
• R2 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl, alkyloxyalkyl, aryl, aryloxylalkyl or aryloxyaryl group;
• G is O, S, SO, SO2, NR10, (CH2)t—O— or C═O;
• R3 and R4 are each independently an alkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroaryl, or an heteroarylalkyl group, or optionally, R3 and R4 can be tethered together via (—CH2—)q, (—CH2—)rC═O(—CH2—)s, (—CH2—)rS(—CH2—)s, (—CH2—)rS═O(—CH2—)s or (—CH2—)rS(O)2(—CH2—)s, (—CH2—)rNR(—CH2—)s;
• R10 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl, aryl or arylalkyl group;
• R8 and R9 are each independently a hydrogen atom, an alkyl, aryl, or arylalkyl group;
• R is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl or aryl group;
• q is an integer from 1 to about 7;
• r is an integer from 0 to about 3;
• s is an integer from 0 to about 3;
• m is an integer from 2 to about 10;
• t is an integer from 1 to about 10;
• x is an integer from 1 to about 500;
• wherein the primer coating comprises crosslinking agent in an amount in a range of 0.5 mg/ml 1 mg/ml,
• wherein the initiator is present in the primer coating in an amount in a range of 9 mg/ml to 19 mg/ml, and
• wherein at least some of the photoactivatable groups of the crosslinker, at least some free radical generators of the initiator, or a combination of photoactivatable groups and free radical generators within the primer coating, are in an unreacted state and adhere the lubricious coating to the surface.