From smart polymer molecules to responsive nanostructured surfaces

A heteroarm star block copolymer made from seven polystyrene and seven poly(2-vinylpyridine) arms was grafted onto a solid substrate to fabricate a responsive polymer surface consisting of a densely packed monolayer of copolymer molecules. The grafted layer demonstrates a two-level hierarchical response upon external stimuli combining core-shell transitions of single stars with cooperative transitions of the interacting arms between "dimple" and "ripple" morphologies of the monolayer. The response allows for the switching of the surface properties upon changing solvent selectivity or pH of the aqueous environment.