Surface-attached polymer films are surface architectures which allow the precise tailoring surface properties. A simple route to prepare such layers on polymeric substrates is the post-polymerization network formation via C,H-insertion crosslinking (CHic) through reactive groups incorporated in the prepolymer. These crosslinking reactions may be initiated photochemically or thermally and typically proceed via intermediates such as biradicals, nitrenes or carbenes. Alongside with crosslinking the chains are also attached to the surface of a polymeric substrate as C,H insertion reactions are rather unspecific regarding the nature of C,H bonds as reaction partners. However, thermal activation depends strongly on the processing temperature which might often be higher than the Tg or Tm of a possible polymeric substrate. This might lead to a damage of the substrate during processing.<br/>To tackle this issue crosslinkers need to be developed that decompose at lower temperatures. Inspired by existing diazomalonate crosslinker, a novel class of diazobissulfonyl crosslinker were synthesized and incorporated into different prepolymers. The kinetics and the network formation of the diazobissulfonyl crosslinker containing copolymers were analyzed. This crosslinker showed a noticeable higher rate constant at lower temperatures than previously studied systems and side reactions commonly observed for other similar structures are completely suppressed.<br/>Initial studies of the crosslinking behavior have shown that high gel contents can be reached even at relatively moderate temperatures.

Low temperature crosslinking of various polymer films with diazo-bissulfonyl crosslinker

256th National Meeting (2018)

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