Polymer grafting via ATRP initiated from macroinitiator synthesized on surface

Macromolecular anchoring layer approach was used for preparation of an effective macroinitiator for the synthesis of grafted polymer layers by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiated from the surface. For the initial surface modification, a thin layer of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) was deposited on the surface of a silicon wafer. The ATRP macroinitiator was synthesized on the substrate surface by the reaction between epoxy groups of PGMA and carboxy functionality of bromoacetic acid (BAA). Variation of the time and temperature of the BAA deposition as well as PGMA layer thickness allowed control over the amount of BAA attached to the surface. The PGMA anchoring layer allowed the achievement of initiator surface density significantly higher than that reported for a self-assembled monolayer of ATRP initiators. Polymer brushes were synthesized on the PGMA/BAA-modified substrates by ATRP. Different surface concentrations of BAA were used in our grafting experiments to acquire knowledge about the relationship between the amount of initiator anchored to the surface through PGMA and the rate of the grafted layer formation. The increase in the surface density of the initiating moieties led to the increase in the grafting rate. However, a cutoff initiator concentration beyond which no increase of the thickness of the grafted layer was observed. From comparison between the surface densities of the initiator and the attached polymer it was determined that the efficiency of the initiation from the surface was on the level of 5-15%.     

Elucidation of the mechanism of surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization from a diazonium‐based initiator layer

This study elucidates the influence of the atom transfer radical polymerization initiator structure, monolayer versus disordered multilayer, on the growth kinetics and the structural transition of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) brush layers. The multilayer initiator film, prepared by acylation of the electrografted 2‐phenylethanol layer using 2‐bromoisobutyryl bromide, consists of ～4.6 times more tert‐butyl bromide groups compared to monolayer initiator prepared by self assembly technique. The results demonstrate the formation of precursor complex between Cu^I catalyst and the bromine initiator as a prerequisite step before the onset of polymerization. Furthermore, the PMMA brushes formed by the polymerization from the multilayered initiator layer at 50 °C are 20‐fold thicker compared to the polymerization at 25 °C due to the swelling of the multilayered initiator film. In contrast, the thickness of the PMMA layer on the monolayer initiator is less affected by the polymerization temperature. By varying the initiator density on the surface, the solvent content in the PMMA layer is shown to vary from 15% to 94%, resulting in the transition from concentrated over semidiluted to diluted brushes. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Structure and collapse of a surface-grown strong polyelectrolyte brush on sapphire

We have used neutron reflectometry to investigate the behavior of a strong polyelectrolyte brush on a sapphire substrate, grown by atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) from a silane-anchored initiator layer. The initiator layer was deposited from vapor, following treatment of the substrate with an Ar/H(2)O plasma to improve surface reactivity. The deposition process was characterized using X-ray reflectometry, indicating the formation of a complete, cross-linked layer. The brush was grown from the monomer [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (METAC), which carries a strong positive charge. The neutron reflectivity profile of the swollen brush in pure water (D(2)O) showed that it adopted a two-region structure, consisting of a dense surface region ～100 ? thick, in combination with a diffuse brush region extending to around 1000 ? from the surface. The existence of the diffuse brush region may be attributed to electrostatic repulsion from the positively charged surface region, while the surface region itself most probably forms due to polyelectrolyte adsorption to the hydrophobic initiator layer. The importance of electrostatic interactions in maintaining the brush region is confirmed by measurements at high (1 M) added 1:1 electrolyte, which show a substantial transfer of polymer from the brush to the surface region, together with a strong reduction in brush height. On addition of 10(-4) M oppositely charged surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate), the brush undergoes a dramatic collapse, forming a single dense layer about 200 ? in thickness, which may be attributed to the neutralization of the monomers by adsorbed dodecyl sulfate ions in combination with hydrophobic interactions between these dodecyl chains. Subsequent increases in surfactant concentration result in slow increases in brush height, which may be caused by stiffening of the polyelectrolyte chains due to further dodecyl sulfate adsorption.     

双网络增强自支撑多层膜的制备

通过石英晶体微天平(QCM)研究不同最外层对单体、交联剂、引发剂扩散入多层膜的结果显示,聚乙烯亚胺( PEI)为最外层的多层膜更有利于负电荷分子扩散.将(聚乙烯亚胺/聚丙烯酸)12-聚乙烯亚胺[( PEI/PAA)12-PEI]多层膜浸入带有单体、引发剂、交联剂的溶液后,经过光聚合交联与热交联后可形成自支撑膜.XPS数...     

Surface‐initiated polymerization from poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The free‐radical polymerization of styrene initiated from a functionalized poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) surface yielded a tethered polymer layer. The anchoring of the initiator species on the PET surface was performed from surface‐reactive groups easily generated by an alkaline hydrolysis of PET. After each surface modification, PET films were characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, measurements of water contact angles, and time‐of‐flight secondary‐ion mass spectrometry. The influence of the polymerization duration, the grafted initiator density, and the grafting mode on the efficiency of the surface‐initiated polymerization of styrene was investigated. In some cases, the tethering of the polystyrene layer on PET could be a reversible process. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1347–1359, 2003     

Generic top-functionalization of patterned antifouling zwitterionic polymers on indium tin oxide

This paper presents a novel surface engineering approach that combines photochemical grafting and surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) to attach zwitterionic polymer brushes onto indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates. The photochemically grafted hydroxyl-terminated organic layer serves as an excellent platform for initiator attachment, and the zwitterionic polymer generated via subsequent SI-ATRP exhibits very good antifouling properties. Patterned polymer coatings can be obtained when the surface with covalently attached initiator was subjected to photomasked UV-irradiation, in which the C-Br bond that is present in the initiator was broken upon exposure to UV light. A further, highly versatile top-functionalization of the zwitterionic polymer brush was achieved by a strain-promoted alkyne-azide cycloaddition, without compromising its antifouling property. The attached bioligand (here: biotin) enables the specific immobilization of target proteins in a spatially confined fashion, pointing to future applications of this approach in the design of micropatterned sensing platforms on ITO substrates.     

Induction heating for surface triggering styrene polymerization on titanium modified with ATRP initiator

Titanium and its alloys present high interests for technological applications due to their high corrosion resistance, mechanical properties and biocompatibility. In combination with these remarkable characteristics, some Ti applications require specific surface properties that can be imparted with suitable surface functionalizations of the TiO(2) oxide layer. The present work aims to study the surface-initiated ATR polymerization of styrene on titanium substrates, using grafted 11-(2-bromoisobutyrate)-undecyl-1-phosphonic acid as initiator and to compare the impact of two different heating ways on the efficiency of this polymerization: induction vs. conventional heating. The ability of the initiator to bind titanium substrates and act as an initiator for ATRP of styrene is investigated: both heating conditions led to the polymerization of styrene on modified titanium substrates. However, induction heating appeared to be much more efficient than conventional heating, leading to the formation of a thicker, much denser polystyrene layer than conventional heating after only 1h of polymerization.     

Controlled pore functionalization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) track-etched membranes via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

A new method for surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) on the technical polymer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) has been developed which allows controlling and estimating the layer thickness of the grafted polymer in the isocylindrical pores of track-etched membranes. After PET surface treatment by oxidative hydrolysis, the bromoalkyl initiator was immobilized on the PET surface in a two-step solid-phase reaction; the isoporous membrane structure was preserved, and the pore diameter was increased from 760 to 790 nm. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) was grafted under ATRP conditions from a methanol/water mixture at room temperature. Both monomer concentration and reaction time could be used as parameters to adjust the degree of grafting. Effective grafted layer thickness and its response to temperature were estimated from pure water permeability. All data, especially the high polymer densities (0.37 g/cm3) in the swollen layers at 25 degrees C, indicate that grafted PNIPAAm with a "brush" structure has been achieved. For dry PNIPAAm layer thicknesses on the PET pore walls of up to 80 nm, a temperature-induced swelling/deswelling ratio of approximately 3 had been observed. Reduction of the brush grafting density, via composition of the reaction mixture used in solid-phase synthesis for initiator immobilization, led to an increase of that swelling/deswelling ratio. Further, density and temperature response of the grafted PNIPAAm layers synthesized via ATRP were compared with those obtained in the same membranes by less controlled photografting, leading to lower grafting density and larger gradients in grafted layer density and, consequently, much higher swelling/deswelling ratios (>15).     

N,N-二乙基丙烯酰胺与丙烯酸在聚丙烯薄膜表面光接枝制备二元接枝膜及其温度、pH值敏感特性研究

以二苯甲酮为引发剂,聚丙烯薄膜(CPP)为基材,通过紫外光接枝的方法制备了具有温度和pH值双重敏感特性的聚N,N-二乙基丙烯酰胺(PNDEA)与聚丙烯酸(PAA)二元接枝膜.在PNDEA一次接枝膜的制备过程中,引发剂与单体配比相同时,本体接枝方法的接枝速率在反应初期明显高于溶液接枝方法;采用溶液法时,增大引发剂与单体配比等可提高接枝率.用本体法所制得的PNDEA一次膜光活化接枝PAA时接枝速率较溶液法高,并且能够实现较高的PAA接枝率.用红外光谱(FTIR)、X射线光电子能谱化学分析(ESCA)对接枝层组成的表征结果证实了二元接枝层的存在.在不同温度下,PNDEA一次接枝膜的FTIR谱图中酰胺Ⅰ带特征吸收峰发生位移表明它具有温度敏感特性.用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)对PNDEA接枝层表征结果表明,用不同接枝手段所制备的接枝膜具有不同的表面形貌.通过吸水率测定研究了二元接枝膜的温度及pH值敏感特性.     

Process parameters and their effect on grafting reactions in core/shell latexes

The grafting of methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto polybutadiene (PB) latexes prepared by seeded emulsion polymerization at 50°C was investigated as a function of: (a) initiator concentration used in the secondary polymerization, (b) monomer-to-polymer ratio, (c) the specific surface area of the seed latex, and (d) the degree of conversion. The thin layer chromatography/flame ionization detection (TLC/FID) technique was used to determine the proportion of graft copolymer in the core/shell latex, It was found that grafting PMMA onto PB depended upon the concentration of initiator, decreasing as the concentration was increased. The amount of grafting increased with increasing specific surface area of the seed latex, while the molecular weight of the acetone-soluble graft copolymer decreased. The amount of graft copolymer was found to decrease concurrently with increasing monomer-to-polymer ratio and degree of conversion. These results suggest a hydrogen abstraction mechanism in the formation of graft PB–PMMA through a chain transfer process.     

紫外光引发丙烯酰胺分散聚合研究

以聚丙烯酸接枝壬基酚聚氧乙烯(PAA -g -NPEO)作分散剂,紫外光(UV)引发丙烯酰胺(AM )在叔丁醇 水(TBA /H2 O)体系中进行了分散聚合.考察了聚合反应特征以及醇水比、初始单体浓度、引发剂浓度、分散剂浓度、表面入射光强、反应温度、液层厚度等参数对聚合产物粒径及分子量的影响.结果表明该聚合体系不存在诱导期,反应速度快,光照4 0min转化率可达到90 % ,产物分子量达6 . 5×10 6 .透射电镜(TEM)观察显示所得聚合物粒子基本为球形,粒径分布较为均匀.     

Synthesis of high-density grafted polymer layers with thickness and grafting density gradients

A novel approach was developed for the synthesis of tethered polymer layers with thickness and grafting density gradients. Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) was employed as a primary anchoring layer to attach the polymer chains to the surface of a silicon wafer. A linear temperature gradient heated stage was used for the generation of a gradual variation in the thickness of the anchoring PGMA film along the substrate. The obtained gradient was translated into the polymerization initiator gradient via the reaction between the epoxy groups of PGMA and the carboxyl functionality of 2-bromo-2-methylpropionic acid (BPA). The attachment of BPA to the surface modified with the monolayer of PGMA was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments. To complete the experimental procedures, surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization was performed to synthesize the grafted polymer layers with thickness and surface densities that were varied along the substrate. The grafting density of the samples created in this three-step process ranged from 0.75 +/- 0.05 to 1.5 +/- 0.25 chains/nm(2). It was estimated, from a comparison of the surface densities of the initiator and the attached polymer, that the efficiency of the initiation from the surface was on the order of 5-10% and was dependent upon the surface concentration of the initiator and the time of polymerization.     

氯丁胶乳-聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯复合乳胶粒结构形态

以氯丁胶乳（Pa）为种子乳液,甲基丙烯酸甲酯（Pb）为第二单体,采用种子乳液聚合法,制备了氯丁胶乳-聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯复合乳胶粒。 热力学分析表明,当Pb的体积分数Φb＜0.69时,可同时形成Pa-Pb型正核-壳和（Pa＋Pb）分离型乳胶粒,当Φb＞0.69时,形成Pb-Pa型翻转型核壳结构乳胶粒,并伴有Pa-Pb型正核-壳结构乳胶粒的形成。 动力学分析表明,引发剂类型、第二单体的加入方式、种子乳胶粒的交联、单体/聚合物质量比是影响乳胶粒形态的主要因素。 采用水溶性引发剂过二硫酸钾（KPS）,以饥饿态方式加入单体,氯丁胶乳 聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PCR-PMMA)复合乳胶粒呈现正核-壳结构,以充溢态方式加入单体则不能形成明显的核-壳结构;而以油溶性偶氮二异丁腈（AIBN）为引发剂时,单体无论以充溢态方式加入还是饥饿态加入均倾向于形成翻转核-壳型粒子。 在种子乳胶粒中加入一定量交联剂二缩三乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯,有利于形成明显的正核壳结构。 以饥饿态进料,KPS为引发剂时,随着单体用量增加,壳层变厚,仍呈正核-壳结构,与热力学分析结果相吻合;以AIBN为引发剂时,随着单体用量增加,PCR-PMMA复合乳胶粒逐渐由翻转核壳型结构变为互穿结构。     

On the role of oil-soluble initiators in the radical polymerization of micellar systems

Polymerization in micellar systems is a technique which allows the preparation of ultrafine as well as coarse latex particles. This article presents a review of the current literature in the field of radical polymerization of classical monomers in micellar systems initiated by oil-soluble initiators. Besides a short introduction to some of the kinetic aspects of emulsion polymerization initiated by water-soluble initiators, we mainly focus on the kinetics and the mechanism of radical polymerization in o/w and w/o micellar systems initiated by classical oil-soluble initiators. The initiation of emulsion polymerization of an unsaturated monomer (styrene, butyl acrylate,...) by a water-soluble initiator (ammonium peroxodisulfate) is well understood. It starts in the aqueous phase and the initiating radicals enter the monomer-swollen micelle. The formed oligomeric radicals are surface active and increase the colloidal stability of the disperse system. Besides, the charged initiating radicals might experience the energetic barrier when entering the charged particle surface. The locus of initiation with oil-soluble initiators is more complex. It can partition between the aqueous-phase and the oil-phase. Besides, the surface-active oil-soluble initiator can penetrate into the interfacial layer. The dissolved oil-soluble initiator in the monomer droplet can experience the cage effect. The small fraction of the oil-soluble initiator dissolved in the aqueous phase takes part in the formation of radicals. The oligomeric radicals formed are uncharged and therefore, they do not experience the energetic barrier when entering the polymer particles. We summarize and discuss the experimental data of radical polymerization of monomers initiated by oil-soluble initiators in terms of partitioning an initiator among the different domains of the multiphase system. The inhibitor approach is used to model the formation of radicals and their history during the polymerization. The nature of the interfacial layer and the type of oil-soluble initiator including the surface active ones are related to the kinetic and colloidal parameters. The emulsifier type and reaction conditions in the polymerization are summarized and discussed.     

原子转移自由基聚合制备PDMAEMA亲水作用色谱固定相及其性能评价

以甲基丙烯酸二甲氨乙酯为单体,2-溴异丁酰溴为引发剂,CuBr/五甲基二乙烯基三胺(PMDETA)为催化剂,通过原子转移自由基聚合(ATRP)反应,将甲基丙烯酸二甲氨乙酯(DMAEMA)接枝到5μm大孔硅胶表面上,得到了接枝聚合物(PDMAEMA)亲水作用色谱固定相.通过改变反应体系中单体的量,制备了三种不同接枝量的亲水作用色谱固定相,利用元素分析对所制备的固定相进行了表征.详细考察了该固定相的分离性能以及流动相中盐浓度、水含量对溶质保留行为的影响,并将该固定相用于宁心宝胶囊中核苷类化合物的分离和测定.在亲水模式下,该固定相可以基线分离7种核苷类化合物,保留时间随着接枝量的增加而增大,与氨基亲水作用色谱柱相比,该合成柱的分离效率高,溶质在该填料上的保留符合分配作用保留机理.实验结果表明,该填料具有良好的分离性能.     

Surface modification of polymer microfluidic devices using in-channel atom transfer radical polymerization

In-channel atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was used to graft a PEG layer on the surface of microchannels formed in poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-co-(methyl methacrylate) (PGMAMMA) microfluidic devices. The patterned and cover plates were first anchored with ATRP initiator and then thermally bonded together, followed by pumping a solution containing monomer, catalyst, and ligand into the channel to perform ATRP. A PEG-functionalized layer was grafted on the microchannel wall, which resists protein adsorption. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to investigate the initiator-bound surface, and EOF was measured to evaluate the PEG-grafted PGMAMMA microchannel. Fast, efficient, and reproducible separations of amino acids, peptides, and proteins were obtained using the resultant microdevices. Separation efficiencies were higher than 1.0x10(4) plates for a 3.5 cm separation microchannel. Compared with microdevices modified using a previously reported ATRP technique, these in-channel modified microdevices demonstrated better long-term stability.     

Layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolyte macroinitiators for enhanced initiator density in surface-initiated ATRP

The layer-by-layer (L-b-L) deposition of oppositely charged polyelectrolytic macroinitiators has been demonstrated on planar silica substrates. The build-up of the macroinitiator multilayers was monitored by ellipsometry (up to 21 layers) and dual polarization interferometry (up to 17 layers) and good agreement was found between these techniques. The increase in L-b-L thickness was approximately linear, with an average thickness of 2.3 A per layer of deposited macroinitiator. Surface-initiated ATRP of a model nonionic methacrylic monomer, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) in a 1:1 methanol/water mixture was conducted at ambient temperature. Increasing the number of macroinitiator layers led to a significant increase in PHEMA brush thickness up to 110 nm, which is attributed to the greater surface grafting density. PHEMA brush thicknesses obtained after 22 h showed a linear dependence on the number of layers of deposited macro-initiator, with all layers exhibiting near-identical growth kinetics. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to monitor L-b-L assembly and also to confirm PHEMA growth. This technique indicated the loss of small counterions from the multilayers during L-b-L deposition and confirmed an increase in the surface density of bromoester initiator groups as the number of deposited macroinitiator layers was increased. For 17 macroinitiator layers, the bromoester initiator density is estimated to be approximately 4.9 +/- 0.2 nm (-2) from the DPI data. This is comparable to that calculated for ATRP initiator monolayers obtained by either thiol or silane chemistry. Ellipsometry suggested that the macroinitiator multilayers were weakly hydrated prior to the in situ HEMA polymerization. AFM studies indicated that the PHEMA brushes had appreciable surface roughness, but this roughness became negligible compared to the brush thickness with increasing macroinitiator layers.     

Surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization grafting of poly(2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl methacrylate) from flat silicon wafer surfaces

Poly(2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl methacrylate) (PTFEMA), a partially fluorinated polymer, was directly grafted from silicon wafer surfaces by a surface‐initiated atom‐transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The polymer layer thickness increased linearly with monomer conversion and molecular weight of free polymers in solution. The thickness was mainly determined by the experimental conditions such as activator/deactivator ratio, monomer/catalyst ratio, and monomer concentration. PTFEMA layers of more than 100‐nm thick were obtained. The grafted PTFEMA chains were “living” and allowed the extension of a second block of PMMA. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy study showed that the chemical compositions at the surfaces agreed well with their theoretical values. A novel surface‐attachable difunctional initiator was also synthesized and applied to the grafting of PTFEMA. The grafting density was doubled using this difunctional initiator, from 0.48 to 0.86 chains/nm². © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1252–1262, 2006     

Preparation of a bipolar membrane by photografting polymerization

A single-sheet bipolar membrane was synthesized via photografting polymerization of an acrylic acid cation exchange layer onto the surface of a commercial homogeneous anion exchange membrane with benzophenone (BP) as the main initiator, diphenyl (2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)-phosphine oxide (TPO) and 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-1-propanone (1173) as coinitiators and divinylbenzene (DVB) or neopentylene glycol diacrylate (NPGDA) as crosslinking agent. It was found that when benzophenone was used as single initiator and the crosslink agent is absent, the grafting degree (D _g) increases with the prolongation of irradiation time. The grafting degree reaches a maximum at 60 seconds reaction time when the crosslinking agent is added, and the grafting degree is higher when using NPGDA instead of DVB as crosslinking agent. The grafting degree increases as the composite initiator system is used. When polymerization was initiated by BP and TPO, and the dosage of NPGDA was 2.5% mol concentration of monomer, the grafting degree reaches 30.1%. __________ Translated from Journal of Beijing Technology and Business University, 2007, 25(1): 15–18 [译自: 北京工商大学学报]     

Substrate-independent approach for polymer brush growth by surface atom transfer radical polymerization

A simple method for growing polymer brushes by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) off solid surfaces has been devised. This entails pulsed plasmachemical deposition of a halogen-containing initiator layer, followed by either organic or aqueous phase controlled surface polymerization. The wide-scale applicability of this approach is exemplified by functionalizing flat substrates, microbeads, and nonwoven textiles.