A number of experimental studies have shown that supported thin polymer films can be efficiently used to modulate surface properties including adhesion and friction. Such polymer coatings have properties and responsiveness that are contingent on the chemical composition, size and shape of structure, elasticity. However, they are generally suffering from major shortcomings such as lack of responsiveness selectivity and reversibility, poor environmental stability and limited understanding of the structure–function relationship, which are all critical to design reliable rules for building responsive surfaces in a selective way. Experimental surface forces studies of different classes of solvated polymer-bearing surfaces carried out using the surface forces apparatus and similar molecular techniques will be presented in order to elucidate the responsiveness mechanism and the structure–property relationship between polymer-coated surfaces in aqueous media. Even though conclusive understanding is still hampered by the difficulty of systematically controlling the polymer grafting density and conformation under shear and compression, the studies suggest that the effective adhesion and lubrication mechanisms involve the facility with which macromolecules under compression remain hydrated and hold a significant amount of water at the surfaces to be lubricated. This could be optimized by immobilizing different microgels on substrates for which the friction coefficient decreased exponentially with an increasing the swelling ratio regardless of the size, surface coverage, and degree of ionization of the particles. In addition, the robustly attached microgel particles were able to sustain high pressure (up to 200 atm) without significant surface damage.<br/>

Stimuli-responsive and nanostructured polymer films for modulating adhesion and friction between surfaces: Fabrications, applications and limitations

2019 Fall National Meeting

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