Polymer Brushes by the "Grafting to" Method

• Published in: Macromolecular rapid communications. Vol. 32; no. 12; pp. 859 - 869
• Main Authors: Zdyrko, Bogdan, Luzinov, Igor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 16.06.2011; WILEY‐VCH Verlag
• Subjects: Anchoring; Attachment; Brushes; Chemistry - methods; epoxy anchoring layer; Grafting; grafting to; polymer brush; Polymers - chemical synthesis; Polymers - chemistry; Surface Properties; surfaces; Synthesis
• ISSN: 1022-1336; 1521-3927; 1521-3927
• DOI: 10.1002/marc.201100162

This paper focuses on the attachment of densely grafted polymer layers (polymer brushes) to various inorganic and polymeric substrates by the “grafting to” method. A brief overview of synthesis of polymer brushes by the method is first provided, with emphasis on chemical approaches to polymer attachment. The second part of the paper covers the synthesis of polymer layers via a recently developed macromolecular anchoring layer approach. Several examples of application of the grafting technique are presented for generation of hydrophobic, hydrophilic, gradient, and switchable surfaces. “Grafting to” approach to polymer anchoring offers several unique opportunities. The grafting method allows synthesis of well‐defined brushes of different architecture on surfaces of various chemical natures. Moreover, the approach is less challenging from a chemical point of view, since it does not involve elaborate synthetic procedures.