Stimuli responsive hybrid polymer brushes with instant switching behavior

COLL 201

Mikhail Motornov, mmotorno@clarkson.edu, Roman Sheparovych, sheparrb@clarkson.edu, Ihor Tokarev, itokarev@clarkson.edu, Yuri Roiter, yroiter@clarkson.edu, and Sergiy Minko, sminko@clarkson.edu. Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699
We report synthesis of the mixed polymer brushes with unique responsive characteristics – rapid reversible switching from hydrophilic to hydrophobic state and vice versa upon contact with air and water. Facile switching of the surface properties was accomplished using polymers with low glass transition temperature - poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and a highly branched ethoxylated polyethylenimine (EPEI). High mobility of the polymer chains in air and in aqueous environment allows for a rapid polymer layer reconstruction between different layered morphologies of the phase segregated mixed brush structures. In air the topmost layer was predominantly composed of the hydrophobic PDMS, while in water hydrophilic EPEI diffused on top of the collapsed PDMS clusters. Surface composition of the mixed PDMS-EPEI polymer brushes was determined by means of advancing/receding contact angle measurements and AFM force-distance analysis.
 

Fundamental Research in Colloid and Surface Chemistry
6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Monday, August 20, 2007 BCEC -- East Registration, Poster

Division of Colloid & Surface Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007