Polymer networks are a ubiquitous class of materials applied across many disciplines, functioning as soft, highly modular solids with a huge variety of tunable properties. Extremely soft networks have been of particular interest for biomedical applications but are challenging to achieve in the bulk due to the presence of entanglements. By employing a network with a brush architecture, entanglements can altogether be avoided without the need for a solvent, and networks with mechanical properties comparable to biologics can be realized. Here, we both demonstrate a brush polymer network platform using ROMP and extend the potential application space of brush networks to art conservation. The ROMP-based networks were formed using a grafting-through approach, by copolymerizing mono- and di-norbornene functionalized poly(<i>n</i>-butyl acrylate) macromonomers with varying molecular weights and molar ratios. By tuning these handles, brush networks with moduli varying from 1 – 20 kPa and varying mesh sizes were studied and employed as a route to improved fracture metrology. Moreover, due to the extreme softness of this class of materials, analogous PDMS brush networks were studied for their ability to make conformal contact with model rough surfaces with dimensions relevant to those found in works of art and cultural heritage objects. Softer networks were found to improve conformal contact, which in turn was correlated with improved cleaning efficiency. Due to their unique architecture, brush polymer networks offer insight into important fundamental physics as well as potential use in a variety of applications.

Striving for perfection: “Defect”-free brush polymer networks for improved metrology

2019 Spring National Meeting

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