Smart polymers at surfaces that react to external stimuli are of great interest for the design of materials with switchable surface properties (e.g. adhesion, wetting, or absorption). While switching of stimulus-responsive polymers by temperature, pH or salt is already investigated in many scientific studies, polymers that react to other stimuli, such as for example light, are less frequently addressed, in particular, if these molecules are confined as thin polymer layers at surfaces. Here, we introduce surface-attached Spiropyrane-polymer hydrogels that respond to light with a dynamic and reversible change of their chemical structure. Upon irradiation with UV-light, a reversible change within the lightsensitive Spiropyran-group occurs, which switches this function from a non-charged, hydrophobic spiropyran to a zwitterionic, hydrophilic merocyanine form. We will show that the latter is accompanied with a change in surface-properties, and thus light-switchable wetting as well as specific capture of ions by the film can be dynamically modulated.

Stimuli-responsive polymer networks at surfaces that can be switched by light

245th National Meeting (2013)

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