Effect of salt concentration on the nanostructure of weak polyacid brush in the amphiphilic polymer monolayer at the air/water interface

The effect of salt concentration on the nanostructure of a spread monolayer of ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymer, (diethylsilacyclobutane)m-b-(methacrylic acid)n, at the air-water interface was directly investigated by in situ X-ray reflectivity and neutron reflectivity techniques. Previously, we had found that a poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) hydrophilic layer under the water was not in the form of a simple polyelectrolyte brush but consisted of a dense carpet upper layer and a diffuse brush lower layer when the hydrophilic chain was long enough. Here we observed this double layer formation in the monolayer in aqueous NaCl solution at a constant surface pressure. The effect of salt added to the subphase differed with the salt concentrations, that is, below or above 0.1 M. In the presence of NaCl up to 0.1 M, both the hydrophobic layer and brush layer thicknesses decreased. On the other hand, both of them increased in the presence of NaCl above 0.1 M. Also, the carpet layer thickness was almost constant independent of the salt concentration. In addition, the brush top roughness showed a maximum in the presence of 0.1 M NaCl. The increase of the charge number on the PMAA chain and the screening effect of the Coulomb interaction by added salt ions were considered to be responsible for these phenomena.     

Critical brush density for the transition between carpet-only and carpet/brush double-layered structures

The critical brush density, where transition from carpet-only structure to carpet/brush double-layered structure occurs, was estimated for a weakly ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymer, (diethylsilacyclobutane)34-b-(methacrylic acid)50, monolayer on water by an in situ X-ray reflectivity technique. The brush density in the monolayer was controlled from 0.11 to 0.60 brush chain/nm2 by changing surface pressure and mixing a poly(diethylsilacyclobutane) homopolymer separately synthesized. Only a carpet layer was formed at a low brush density condition, but a carpet and brush double layer was found for a higher brush density of more than 0.48/nm2. This brush density, which is fairly high, would be valuable for discussing the polyelectrolyte brush nanostructure.     

Nanostructure and transition of a strong polyelectrolyte brush at the air/water interface

The strong polyelectrolyte layer in the monolayer of ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymers at the air/water interface consists of carpet and brush layers when the brush density is satisfactorily high like that of the weak acid polymer. Also, a drastic structural change was induced by the addition of salt to the brush layer. In this study, the critical brush density for the transition between "carpet-only" and "carpet + brush" structures for the strongly ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymer, poly(hydrogenated isoprepene)-b-poly(styrene sulfonic acid) sodium salt, monolayer was measured by an in situ X-ray reflectivity technique. The critical brush density was found to be about 0.12 nm-2, which is lower than that observed for a weak acid polymer and, unlike the weak acid polymer, is independent of the hydrophilic chain length. This difference might be attributed to the strong ionic nature of the brush chain. In addition, the reversibility of the transition was confirmed. The effect of salt addition to the nanostructure of the carpet layer was examined in detail. No structural change was found, indicating that most of the ionic groups in the carpet layer do not show an ionic nature because of counterion condensation.     

Salt effect on the nanostructure of strong polyelectrolyte brushes in amphiphilic diblock copolymer monolayers on the water surface

The nanostructure of a spread monolayer of diblock copolymers of poly(hydrogenated isoprene) and poly(styrenesulfonate) at the air/water interface were studied by in situ X-ray reflectivity as a function of the brush density and salt concentration. When the monolayer was compressed beyond the "critical brush density", its nanostructure changed from a flat, adsorbed "carpet" layer to a "carpet + brush" structure. The critical brush density was found to be about 0.12 nm-2, independent the brush length and salt concentration under a low-salt condition. The brush formation behavior was considered to be controlled by an electrostatic interaction between polyelectrolyte chains rather than by a steric hindrance. This might be because the distance between the chains at the critical point is rather long and also because of the effect of the salt on the critical brush density. The critical brush density increased at higher added salt concentration beyond 1 M. As a result, we found a new structure transition behavior of the polymer brushes between carpet-only and carpet + brush structures, which was induced by salt addition. Finally, we succeeded in the controlled release of salt ions from the salted brush layer by changing the brush density by compression of the monolayer.     

Hydrophilic chain length dependence of the ionic amphiphilic polymer monolayer structure at the air/water interface

Detailed analysis of an interesting poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) brush structure in water of a diblock copolymer [(Et(2)SB(m)-b-(MMA)(n), where Et(2)SB is diethylsilacyclobutane] monolayer reported previously was performed by X-ray and neutron reflectometry and indicated that the hydrophilic layer formed with a relatively long PMAA chain is not a simple layer but is divided into two layers, that is, a "carpet"-like dense PMAA layer near the hydrophobic layer and a polyelectrolyte brush layer. The hydrophilic chain length dependence of the diblock copolymer monolayer was analyzed using m:n = 30:x polymer samples, especially of the PMAA double layer structure. With the increase in PMAA chain length in polymer samples, a carpet layer is mainly formed up to n approximately 50. With further increase in the PMAA chain length beyond n approximately 50, a well-defined brush layer appears. On the other hand, the variation in hydrophobic layer thickness with methacrylic acid unit is minimum at the critical PMAA length, that is, n approximately 50 under a constant surface pressure condition. It is strongly suggested that the two discrete layers contribute differently to surface pressure. Furthermore, from the comprehensive viewpoint, the major factor for brush formation was clarified not to be the absolute length of the PMAA chain, but the ratio of PEt(2)SB and PMAA chain length is an important factor.     

Nanostructure of a "carpet"-like dense layer/polyelectrolyte brush layer in a block copolymer monolayer at the air-water interface

The "carpet"/brush double layer structure in the polyelectrolyte layer in the amphiphilic diblock copolymer monolayer at the air-water interface was quantitatively studied by in situ neutron reflectometry in addition to X-ray reflectivity measurements. As a result of the higher contrast between polyelectrolyte [poly(methacrylic acid)] and solvent (D(2)O) for the neutron, the brush structure could be estimated more accurately as a function of surface pressure, that is, brush density. The thickness of the carpet layer, which is thought to be formed to reduce the interfacial free energy between water and the hydrophobic layer, was almost constant at 10-20 A at any surface pressure studied. Growth was clearly observed in the whole brush length with increasing surface pressure, and it was estimated to be almost 60% of the full-stretch length of the ionic polymer chain. Furthermore, by the comparison of density profiles by neutron and X-ray reflectometry, an anomalous hydration was suggested.     

Non-surface activity and micellization of ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymers in water. Hydrophobic chain length dependence and salt effect on surface activity and the critical micelle concentration

We reported previously (Macromolecules 2003, 36, 5321; Langmuir, 2004, 20, 7412) that amphiphilic diblock copolymers having polyelectrolytes as a hydrophilic segment show almost no surface activity but form micelles in water. In this study, to further investigate this curious and novel phenomenon in surface and interface science, we synthesized another water-soluble ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymer poly(hydrogenated isoprene)-b-sodium poly(styrenesulfonate) PIp-h2-b-PSSNa by living anionic polymerization. Several diblock copolymers with different hydrophobic chain lengths were synthesized and the adsorption behavior at the air/water interface was investigated using surface tension measurement and X-ray reflectivity. A dye-solubilization experiment was carried out to detect the micelle formation. We found that the polymers used in this study also formed micelles above a certain polymer concentration (cmc) without adsorption at the air-water interface under a no-salt condition. Hence, we further confirmed that this phenomenon is universal for amphiphilic ionic block copolymer although it is hard to believe from current surface and interface science. For polymers with long hydrophobic chains (more than three times in length to hydrophilic chain), and at a high salt concentration, a slight adsorption of polymer was observed at the air-water interface. Long hydrophobic chain polymers showed behavior "normal" for low molecular weight ionic surfactants with increasing salt concentration. Hence, the origin of this curious phenomenon might be the macroionic nature of the hydrophilic part. Dynamic light scattering analysis revealed that the hydrodynamic radius of the block copolymer micelle was not largely affected by the addition of salt. The hydrophobic chain length-cmc relationship was found to be unusual; some kind of transition point was found. Furthermore, very interestingly, the cmc of the block copolymer did not decrease with the increase in salt concentration, which is in clear contrast to the fact that cmc of usual ionic small surfactants decreases with increasing salt concentration (Corrin-Harkins law). These behaviors are thought to be the special, but universal, characteristics of ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymers, and the key factor is thought to be a balance between the repulsive force from the water surface by the image charge effect and the hydrophobic adsorption.     

Sphere-to-rod transition of non-surface-active amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles: a small-angle neutron scattering study

Micellization behavior of amphiphilic diblock copolymers with strong acid groups, poly(hydrogenated isoprene)-block-poly(styrenesulfonate), was investigated by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). We have reported previously (Kaewsaiha, P.; Matsumoto, K.; Matsuoka, H. Langmuir 2005, 21, 9938) that this strongly ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymer shows almost no surface activity but forms micelles in water. In this study, the size, shape, and internal structures of the micelles formed by these unique copolymers in aqueous solution were duly investigated. The SANS data were well described by the theoretical form factor of a core-shell model and the Pedersen core-corona model. The micellar shape strongly depends on the hydrophobic chain length of the block copolymer. The polymer with the shortest hydrophobic chain was suggested to form spherical micelles, whereas the scattering curves of the longer hydrophobic chain polymers showed a q-1 dependence, reflecting the formation of rodlike micelles. Furthermore, the addition of salt at high concentration also induced the sphere-to-rod transition in micellar shape as a result of the shielding effect of electrostatic repulsion. The corona thickness was almost constant up to the critical salt concentration (around 0.2 M) and then decreased with further increases in salt concentration, which is in qualitatively agreement with existing theories. The spherical/rodlike micelle ratio was also constant up to the critical salt concentration and then decreased. The micelle size and shape of this unique polymer could be described by the common concept of the packing parameter, but the anomalously stable nature of the micelle (up to 1 M NaCl) is a special characteristic.     

Facile synthesis and responsive behavior of PDMS‐b‐PEG diblock copolymer brushes via photoinitiated “thiol‐ene” click reaction

We present herein a mild and rapid method to create diblock copolymer brushes on a silicon surface via photoinitiated “thiol‐ene” click reaction. The silicon surface was modified with 3‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) self‐assembled monolayer. Then, a mixture of divinyl‐terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and photoinitiator was spin‐coated on the MPTMS surface and exposed to UV‐light. Thereafter, a mixture of thiol‐terminated polyethylene glycol (PEG) and photoinitiator were spin‐coated on the vinyl‐terminated PDMS‐treated surface, and the sequent photopolymerization was carried out under UV‐irradiation. The MPTMS, PDMS, and PEG layers were carefully identified by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, ellipsometry, and water contact angle measurements. The thickness of the polydimethylsiloxane‐block‐poly(ethylene glycol) (PDMS‐b‐PEG) diblock copolymer brush could be controlled by the irradiation time. The responsive behavior of diblock copolymer brushes treated in different solvents was also discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Carpetlike dense‐layer formation in a polyelectrolyte brush at the air/water interface

A carpetlike dense‐layer formation between a hydrophobic layer and a polyelectrolyte brush layer has been found in the monolayers of an ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymer, poly(1,1‐diethylsilacyclobutane)_m‐block‐poly(methacrylic acid)_n, on a water surface by an X‐ray reflectivity technique. By detailed analysis, we have found that the hydrophilic layer under the water is not a simple layer but is divided into two layers, that is, a carpetlike dense methacrylic acid (MAA) layer near the hydrophobic layer and a polyelectrolyte brush layer. We have also confirmed that a well‐established polyelectrolyte brush is formed only for the m:n = 43:81 polymer monolayer: For m:n = 40:10 and m:n = 45:60 polymer monolayers, only a dense MAA layer is formed. This dense‐layer formation should be the origin of the interesting hydrophobic‐layer thickness variation previously reported; The hydrophobic‐layer thickness takes a minimum as a function of the hydrophilic chain length at any surface pressure studied. An overview of the data for three samples with different chain lengths (m:n = 40:10, 45:60, or 43:81) has shown that the thickness of this dense layer is 10–20 Å and is independent of the surface pressure and polymerization degree of poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) in the range studied. This dense‐layer formation is explained by the reasonable speculation that contact with PMAA is thermodynamically more stable than direct contact with water for the diethylsilacyclobutane (Et₂SB) layer on water. In this sense, the dense layer acts like a carpet for the hydrophobic Et₂SB layer, and a 10–20‐Å thickness could be a critical value for the carpet. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1921–1928, 2003     

Control of surface properties using fluorinated polymer brushes produced by surface-initiated controlled radical polymerization

Surface-grafted styrene-based homopolymer and diblock copolymer brushes bearing semifluorinated alkyl side groups were synthesized by nitroxide-mediated controlled radical polymerization on planar silicon oxide surfaces. The polymer brushes were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), and time-dependent water contact angle measurements. Angle-resolved XPS studies and water contact angle measurements showed that, in the case of the diblock copolymer brushes, the second block to be added was always exposed at the polymer-air interface regardless of its surface energy. Values of z*/Rg were estimated based on the radius of gyration, Rg, of the grafted homopolymer or block copolymer chains for the grafted brushes and thickness of the brush, z*. The fact that z*/Rg > 1 suggests that all these brushes are stretched. These results support the idea that after grafting the first block onto the surface the nitroxide-end capped polymer chains were able to polymerize the second block in a "living" fashion and the stretched brush so formed was dense enough that the outermost block in all cases completely covers the surface. NEXAFS analysis showed a relationship between the surface orientation of the fluorinated side chains and brush thickness with thicker brushes having more oriented side chains. Time-dependent water contact angle measurements revealed that the orientation of the side chains of the brush improved the surface stability toward reconstruction upon prolonged exposure to water.     

Physical deposition behavior of charged amphiphilic diblock copolymers: Effect of charge distribution and electric field

Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate physical deposition behavior of charged amphiphlic diblock copolymers. The effects of solvent selectivity, charge distribution in amphiphlic diblock copolymers, and electric field strength on deposition conformations are studied qualitatively. Flat amphiphilic bilayers, which consist of hydrophilic monolayer and hydrophobic brush, are formed by physical deposition of charged amphiphlic diblock copolymers in nonselective solvents. For physically deposited amphiphlic diblock copolymers in selective solvents, amphiphilic bilayers consist of disc-shaped hydrophilic monolayers and hydrophobic nanospheres are found. This study sheds light on the formation of various amphiphlic diblock copolymer deposition conformations in different solvents and interaction mechanism of different components. Furthermore, the evolution of physical deposition process of charged amphiphlic diblock copolymers layer offers new insight to the controlling of amphiphilic bilayer thickness, hydrophobic nanosphere size, and interface property of depositional amphiphlic diblock copolymers.     

Combined effect of spin speed and ionic strength on polyelectrolyte spin assembly

Polyelectrolyte spin assembly (PSA) of multilayers is a sequential process featuring adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes from dilute solutions undergoing spin-coating flow. Here, we report on the dependence of PSA multilayer buildup of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) on solution ionic strength and spin speed. We observed that at a given spin speed, the PSA coating growth rate (thickness/bilayer) and polymer surface coverage shows a nonmonotonic dependence on salt concentration, first increasing and then decreasing with increasing solution ionic strength. This is argued to be a manifestation of two competing mechanisms responsible for the layer formation. At low salt concentrations, the electrostatic interactions control the multilayer assembly process, while at high salt concentrations it is dominated by shear flow. We explain this nonmonotonic behavior in the framework of a Flory-like theory of multilayer formation from polyelectrolyte solution under shear flow. Additionally, the PSA process led to multilayer coatings with a radial dependence on thickness at lower spin speed in the shear-dominated regime. On increasing spin speed, such radial dependence subsided, eventually leading to uniform coatings by planarization. The surface topography of the multilayered coatings adsorbed at salt concentration less than 0.1 M was flat and featureless for all studied spin speeds. Unique morphological features in the films were formed at salt concentration higher than 0.1 M, the size of which depended on the spin speed and solution ionic strength.     

A surface-reactive rod-coil diblock copolymer: nano- and micropatterned polymer brushes.

A diblock copolymer consisting of poly(3-(triethoxysilyl)propylisocyanate) (PIC) and polystyrene(PS) was synthesized by anionic polymerization. A polymeric monolayer of the block copolymer was formed on silica substrates by various grafting techniques such as immersion, casting, or contact-printing. The PIC block adheres covalently to Si substrates in an in-plane fashion due to its extended rodlike conformation and reactivity to the silica. The polystyrene blocks aggregate to form mounds on the surface resulting in a new type of nanopatterned polymer brush. The self-limiting adsorption of the rod coils results in a thickness of about 5 nm regardless of the solution concentration and coating method. This particular property allowed microcontact printing directly onto silicon or glass substrates. The resulting surface morphology consisted of nanoscale domains given by the block copolymer and uniform thickness micropatterns transferred from the stamp within the printed area. This study offers a simple new method to prepare a covalent polymeric monolayer with nano- and micropatterns, which can be performed directly onto various silicon-based substrates.     

Synthesis and morphological study of thick benzyl methacrylate-styrene diblock copolymer brushes

We demonstrate, for the first time, the synthesis of model poly(benzyl methacrylate) [P(BnMA)] brushes of very high thickness (>300 nm) on silicon wafer. P(BnMA) brush is also synthesized from the surface of silica nanoparticles, from a covalently anchored initiator monolayer, using ambient temperature ATRP. The kinetic studies and block copolymerization from the surface anchored P(BnMA)-Br macroinitiator showed that the polymerization was controlled in nature. AFM, ellipsometry, and water contact angle were used for the characterization of the polymer brush. The grafting density of the P(BnMA) brush, formed by immersion in a dilute monomer solution, was relatively less (～11% less) in comparison to that obtained by immersion in neat monomer under similar conditions. The P(BnMA)-Br macroinitiator brushes were used to synthesize P(BnMA-b-S) diblock copolymer brushes by the ATRP of styrene at 95 °C. The P(BnMA-b-S) brushes showed stimulus response to a selective solvent and various nanopatterns were observed according to the composition of the block copolymer.     

Fabrication of nanoporous templates from diblock copolymer thin films on alkylchlorosilane-neutralized surfaces

The fabrication of nanoporous templates from poly(styrene)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) diblock copolymer thin films (PS-b-PMMA, volume ratio 70:30) on silicon requires precise control of interfacial energies to achieve a perpendicular orientation of the PMMA cylindrical microdomains relative to the substrate. To provide a simple, rapid, yet tunable approach for surface neutralization, we investigated the self-assembled ordering of PS-b-PMMA diblock copolymer thin films on silicon substrates modified with a partial monolayer of octadecyldimethyl chlorosilane (ODMS), i.e., a layer of ODMS with a grafting density less than the maximum possible monolayer surface coverage. We demonstrate herein the fabrication of nanoporous PS templates from annealed PS-b-PMMA diblock copolymer thin films on these partial ODMS SAMs.     

Normal and shear forces between a polyelectrolyte brush and a solid surface

The diblock copolymer poly(methyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly(sodium sulfonated glycidyl methacrylate) (PMMA‐b‐PSGMA) was end‐attached by its hydrophobic block (PMMA) onto mica hydrophobized by a stearic trimethylammonium iodide (STAI) layer, to form a polyelectrolyte brush immersed in water. With a surface force balance (SFB), we extended earlier measurements between two such brush layers for the case of normal and shear forces at different shear rates, surface separation, and compressions between one mica surface coated with STAI or a STAI‐diblock layer against a bare mica surface. After coating one of the surfaces with STAI, a long range attraction that results in a jump into an adhesive flat contact between the hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces was observed. A very different behavior was seen after forming the polyelectrolyte brush on the STAI‐coated surface. The long range attraction was replaced by repulsion, accompanied by very low friction during shear (ca. three orders of magnitude lower than with adsorbed polyelectrolytes). On further compression, a weak attraction to the adhesive contact was observed. From the final surface–surface contact separation, we deduce that most of the polyelectrolyte diblock brush layer was squeezed out from the gap, leaving the STAI layer and a small amount of the polymer attached to the surface. Stick‐sliding behavior was seen while applying shear, suggesting a dissipation mechanism caused by the trapped polyelectrolyte. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 193–204, 2005     

Solution pH-regulated interfacial adsorption of diblock phosphorylcholine copolymers

Spectroscopic ellipsometry has been used to examine the pH-responsive interfacial adsorption of a series of biocompatible diblock copolymers incorporating 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine-based (MPC) residues and 2-(dialkylamino)ethyl methacrylate residues, with a specific focus on 2-(diethylamino)ethyl groups (referred to as MPCm-DEAn, where m and n refer to the mean degrees of polymerization of each block) at the hydrophilic silicon oxide/water interface. For all the copolymers studied the surface excess shows only weak concentration dependence. Increasing the length of the DEA block has little effect on the dynamic or equilibrated adsorption at pH 7, indicating that the DEA block adopts a flat conformation on the silicon oxide surface at this pH. With increasing pH, however, the surface excess shows a dramatic increase, followed by a subsequent decline. The observed maximum in surface excess represents a balance between charge over-compensation of the copolymer with the oppositely charged surface and the subsequently reduced charge density of the copolymer. Variations in the observed maxima for various MPCm-DEAn diblock copolymers indicate different surface conformations at high pH. Salt addition does not affect copolymer adsorption. This behavior is attractive for biomedical applications in which the ionic strength is variable. It was also found that the preadsorbed diblock copolymers immobilized DNA from solution to an extent that is proportional to the relative charge ratio between the anionic DNA and the cationic DEA block of the copolymer.     

Unusual salt stability in highly charged diblock co-polypeptide hydrogels

The stability and properties of dilute solution hydrogels, synthesized by transition metal mediated polymerization of amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs), have been studied in deionized (DI) water as well as various ionic media. These hydrogels are diblock amphiphilic copolymers of hydrophilic, charged segments of poly(l-lysine HBr) or poly(l-glutamic acid sodium salt), and helical, hydrophobic segments of poly(l-leucine). While many of these samples are able to form strong gels in deionized water at polymer concentrations as low as 0.25 wt %, stability in salt or buffer solutions was found to be only achieved at moderately higher polymer concentrations ( approximately 3.0 wt %). We have adjusted relative copolymer compositions and molecular weights to optimize hydrogel strength and polymer solubility in salt concentrations up to 0.5 M NaCl, as well as in cell growth media and aqueous buffers of varying pH. These materials are unique since they do not collapse in high ionic strength media, even though gel formation is contingent upon the presence of highly charged polyelectrolyte segments. The remarkable properties of these hydrogels make them excellent candidates for use as scaffolds in biomedical applications, such as tissue regeneration.