Abstract
In this review, we describe the latest advances in synthesis, characterization, and applications of polymer brushes. Synthetic advances towards well-defined polymer brushes, which meet criteria such as: (i) Efficient and fast grafting, (ii) Applicability on a wide range of substrates; and (iii) Precise control of surface initiator concentration and hence, chain density are discussed. On the characterization end advances in methods for the determination of relevant physical parameters such as surface initiator concentration and grafting density are discussed. The impact of these advances specifically in emerging fields of nano- and bio-technology where interfacial properties such as surface energies are controlled to create nanopatterned polymer brushes and their implications in mediating with biological systems is discussed.
Highlights
Surface anchored polymer chains are a broad class of materials where tethering of one chain end provides mechanical strength and ability to withstand a variety of post processing steps
The surface polarity was tuned through the ratio of S to inimer and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), to identify nonpreferential conditions to direct the assembly of an overlying cylinder forming P(S-b-MMA) block copolymer (BCP) film
For polymer brushes synthesized by surface-initiated polymerization (SIP), a conventional way to determine the chain density is to correlate the molecular weight of sacrificial polymer which is simultaneously polymerized from small amount of unbound free initiator in the same solution to the resulting brush layer thickness [108]
Summary
Surface anchored polymer chains are a broad class of materials where tethering of one chain end provides mechanical strength and ability to withstand a variety of post processing steps. Termed “polymer brushes”, these materials have an assortment of applications and the ability to alter surface properties including bio-adhesion [1], wettability [2], modulating interfacial electronic properties [3], and surface activity [4]. The term polymer carpets was recently coined to refer to free-standing polymer brushes, grafted from a crosslinked monolayer of self-assembled initiators following photo-polymerization of suitable monomers. These are exciting developments in the field as it frees up the polymer brushes from being bound to a particular substrate making them more usable and versatile. We will highlight how these advances have impacted the creation of patterned polymer brushes and their subsequent chemical modification to control tissue integration and cellular adhesion
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