We report on the thermodynamic stability of covalently-attached strong polyelectrolyte brushes upon exposure to good solvents. Neutral and charged polymer brushes were synthesized by the �grafting from� technique and exposed to good solvents for different periods of time and at different solvent temperatures. Dense covalently grafted strong polyelectrolyte brushes seem to degraft down to a certain graft density value upon swelling (0,005 �mol/m2). All polyelectrolyte brushes seem to reach an equilibrium state in which no more chains are degrafted from the surface.  Neutral brushes do not degraft from the surface upon exposure to a good solvent at low temperatures for long periods of time, whereas increasing solvent temperature has an effect in the stability of the brushes.

Thermodynamics of densely grafted strong polyelectrolyte brushes in the swollen state

239th National Meeting (2010)

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