The emergence of atom transfer radical polymerization as a powerful synthetic approach has been enthusiastically received across the polymer community. The highly controlled nature of ATRP makes it ideal for specialty applications, particularly surfaces. ATRP is an excellent way to modify highly confined architectures without obstructing flow, and lends increased chemical stability while providing interesting adsorption and catalytic opportunities. In addition, ultrathin hydrophobic or antifouling coatings have gained much interest along with the creation of thin film chemical gradients for the separation and concentration of analytes on sensor surfaces. As the field matures, however, the desire has emerged to standardize the synthetic procedures in the applied fields. While much excellent work has been released regarding specific ligands, solvents, initiators, and metals necessary to optimize each type of polymerization, uniform approaches appropriate for general polymer growth is lagging. Herein, we present the details of a broadly applicable ATRP synthesis of hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and clickable polymer brushes and their characterization by gel permeation chromatography, spectroscopic ellipsometry, confocal Raman spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance. This synthesis method allows for rapid production of polymers of interest, appropriate for even novice polymer scientists to quickly master.

Unified approach for surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP)

254th National Meeting (2017)

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