Aryl Diazonium Salts for Carbon Fiber Surface-Initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

• Published in: The Journal of adhesion Vol. 84; no. 8; pp. 684 - 701
• Main Authors: Matrab, Tarik, Nguyen, Minh Ngoc, Mahouche, Samia, Lang, Philippe, Badre, Chantal, Turmine, Mireille, Girard, Grégory, Bai, Jinbo, Chehimi, Mohamed M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colchester Taylor & Francis Group 22.09.2008; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Applied sciences; ATRP; Carbon fiber-polymer adhesion; Carbon fibers; Diazonium salts; Engineering Sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Micro and nanotechnologies; Microelectronics; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polymer brushes; Polymerization; Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts; Surface reaction; Diazonium salts; Atom transfer polymerization; Methyl methacrylate polymer; Mineral fiber; Property processing relationship; Hydroxyethyl methacrylate polymer; Chemical reduction; Wettability; Carbon fiber-polymer adhesion; Surface properties; Bromine Organic compounds; Diazonium compounds; Electrochemical reaction; Carbon fiber; Graft polymers; Liquid solid adsorption; Serum albumin; Experimental study; Quantitative surface analysis; Protein; ATRP; Glycidyl methacrylate polymer; Radical catalyst; Carbon fibers; Polymer brushes
• ISSN: 0021-8464; 1563-518X; 1545-5823
• DOI: 10.1080/00218460802352645

, + N 2 -C 6 H 4 -CH(CH 3 )-Br diazonium salt was electrochemically reduced in order to graft phenylethyl bromide groups to carbon fibers. The pretreated fibers (CF-Br) served as macroinitiators of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of vinylic monomers. This procedure combining a diazonium salt and ATRP permitted the polymerization of butyl, glycidyl and hydroxyethyl methacrylates at the surface of carbon fibers (CF) resulting in CF-PBMA, CF-PGMA, and CF-PHEMA hybrids, respectively. The surface chemistry and wettability of these hybrids were interrogated by XPS and water contact angles. The change in the wettability of carbon fibers reflects the chemical nature of the tethered polymer chains as the wettability decreases in the order CF-PHEMA > CF-PGMA > CF-PBMA > CF. Furthermore, CF-PHEMA was found to resist non-specific adsorption bovine serum albumin (BSA) compared with the more hydrophobic CF-PBMA system. This work shows that the use of diazonium salt is a facile, new surface chemistry option for grafting initiator of ATRP to carbon fiber. This strategy ensures a good carbon fiber-polymer adhesion through covalent bonds.