The objective of this project is to investigate the synthesis and kinetics of synthesis of a polyacrylamide (PAAm) brush on chitosan thin films used as substrates. A PAAm brush is prepared by the �grafting through� approach using the free amine and hydroxyl groups of chitosan. The acquired kinetics of the system suggests that chitosan swells during the grafting of PAAm brush, and simultaneously induces brush growth inside the soft substrate. This results in a much higher brush thickness in comparison to traditional hard substrates like silicon or glass. Selective etching of PAAm reveals peculiar filament-like structures. Further analysis of the system to verify its physical properties and applications are underway.

Synthesis and characterization of a novel Chitosan-polyacrylamide thin film system

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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