Abstract
ABSTRACTIn this article, a series of monodisperse poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid) [P(NIPAm‐AA)] microgels were prepared with different content of acrylic acid (AA) by surfactant‐free emulsion polymerization, and their electrostatic self‐assemble and tribological behavior on polymer brushes were investigated. The ζ‐potential of microgels became more negative with the increase content of AA, which means a stronger hydration capability. For cationic poly[2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyltrimethylammonium chloride] (PMETAC) brushes, negative P(NIPAm‐AA) microgels adsorbed on the surfaces of brushes as a result of the electrostatic interaction, and more AA content means stronger absorption ability. However, compared to the polymer brushes, P(NIPAm‐AA)2:1 and P(NIPAm‐AA)5:1 microgels possessed the weaker hydration capability, which led to a concomitant increase in friction of interface. In terms of P(NIPAm‐AA)10:1 microgels, due to the weak adsorption, they could be sheared off easily, leading to the PMETAC brushes swell again, and thus, a lower friction of interface was obtained. Moreover, the tribological behavior of microgels was significantly affected by the pH, especially the P(NIPAm‐AA)2:1 microgels exhibited good lubrication property in high pH solution due to high hydration of deprotonated carboxylic acid groups. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 44215.
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