Attaching one end of numerous polymer chains to a surface creates a polymer brush if the attachment points are close enough to force the polymers to extend. To obtain the required density of attachment points, these brushes are typically synthesized with a “growing-from” mechanism where initiators are first attached to a surface followed by the addition of monomer to grow polymer chains from the attached initiator. This approach provides the necessary attachment density, but creates a situation where the monomer concentration during polymerization is very low near the surface and high in the surrounding solution, resulting in a broad distribution of chain lengths that masks the close-packed portion of the brush. In our “pass-through” approach, we attach initiators to a surface, exactly like with the “growing-from” approach, but we add the monomer by diffusing it through the surface onto which the initiator is attached. This means that the monomer concentration is highest near the surface, increasing the rate of polymerization for the shorter chains. This self-correcting approach is shown to result in thicker and more uniform brushes as compared to control “growing-from” polymerizations.

Surface initiated polymer brushes by a pass-through approach

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.