Switching of Polymer Brushes

Polymer coatings of brushlike monolayers composed of two different polymers, polystyrene and poly(2-vinylpyridine), are grafted by radical polymerization on the surface of silicon wafers. Thickness, grafting density, molecular weight of grafted chains, and the composition of the coatings were regulated by grafting time, monomer concentration, and additional initiator in solution. A typical dry film thickness is between 10 and 100 nm, and the molecular weights of the components range from 100 to 300 kg/mol. The fabricated coatings turn out to be sensitive to the composition of the environment. For instance after exposition to toluene the layer becomes hydrophobic and the top of the layer is …

Lateral versus perpendicular segregation in mixed polymer brushes.

Grafting of incompatible polymers on a substrate prevents macrophase separation and the chains self-assemble laterally. Mixed brushes are exposed to different solvents and the morphology is observed via atomic force and x-ray photoemission microscopy. In a nonselective solvent the different species segregate into parallel cylinders ("ripple structure"). Upon exposure to a selective solvent, we encounter a transition to a "dimple" structure, in which the unfavored component forms clusters. Simultaneously, we observe an enhanced perpendicular segregation. The experimental observations are compared to self-consistent field calculations, where qualitative agreement is found.

Mixed Polymer Brushes: Switching of Surface Behavior and Chemical Patterning at the Nanoscale

Nanostructured Polymer Brushes With Reversibly Changing Properties

AbstractWe investigated the interplay between different mechanisms of the lateral and vertical segregation in the synthesized via “grafting from” approach symmetric A/B (where A and B are poly(styrene-co-2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorostyrene) and poly(methylmethacrylate), respectively) polymer brushes upon exposure to different solvents. We used X-ray photoemission electron spectroscopy and microscopy (X-PEEM), AFM, water contact angle measurements, and oxygen plasma etching to study morphology of the brushes. The ripple morphology after toluene (nonselective solvent) revealed elongated lamellar-like domains of A and B polymers alternating across the surface. The dimple-A morphology consisting of ro…