Photocontrolled Gating by Polymer Brushes Grafted on Porous Glass Filter

• Published in: Macromolecules Vol. 31; no. 8; pp. 2606 - 2610
• Main Authors: Park, Yong Song, Ito, Yoshihiro, Imanishi, Yukio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 21.04.1998
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polymers and radiations; Properties and characterization; Liquid solid interface; Surface reaction; Photoinduced effect; Porous glass; Experimental study; Methyl methacrylate copolymer; Glow discharge polymerization; Wettability; Preparation; Porous filter; Time curve; Light sensitive copolymer; Methacrylate copolymer; Liquid permeability; Graft polymers
• ISSN: 0024-9297; 1520-5835
• DOI: 10.1021/ma9605199

Polymethacrylate-containing spiropyran was grafted on a glass filter to control permeation of organic liquid by photoirradiation. The glass filter was at first coupled with octadecyldimethyl-N,N-diethylaminosilane and next subjected to glow-discharge treatment for graft copolymerization of spiropyran-substrated methyl methacrylate (SPMA), (1-(β-methacryloylethyl)-3,3-dimethylindoline-2,2‘-spiro-6‘-nitrospirobenzopyran, and methyl methacrylate (MMA). The surface modifications were monitored by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface wettability was altered by these treatments. An SPMA/MMA copolymer in toluene was soluble under irradiation of ultraviolet light but was insoluble under irradiation of visible light, while the copolymer was soluble in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) irrespective of photoirradiation. Toluene permeation through a glass filter grafted with SPMA/MMA copolymer increased by ultraviolet-light irradiation, and decreased by visible-light irradiation. DMF permeation did not depend on the photoirradiation. These results demonstrated that the permeation of organic liquid through a glass filter can be controlled by the solubility, i.e., the extension/contraction of polymer chains grafted on the surface.