Recent investigations into organically modified silicon microring resonators have shown that the sensitivity of these bulk property detectors can be tuned according to the analyte of interest.  While atom-transfer radical polymerization is a robust and versatile modification route, characterization of the organically-modified microrings may be beyond the scope of the user, either in time, skill set, or access to instrumentation.  Therefore, a straightforward method for characterizing the length of the polymer film off the ring surface is necessary for general use.  Using water and deuterated water, the response of the microring resonators modified with poly(methyl methacrylate) was studied.  With the decay profile of the evanescent field already previously described, it is possible to calibrate the surface responses to polymer brush length. This method is convenient and inexpensive to implement, allowing even the most amateur polymer chemists to quickly verify their surface modification.<br/>

Facile <i>in-situ</i> polymer brush characterization using whispering gallery mode sensors

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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Facile in-situ polymer brush characterization using whispering gallery mode sensors