A journey towards responsive and circular polymer brushes : design and applications

Abstract

Chapter 5 presents the synthesis and characterization of degradable polyester brush coatings via organocatalytic Surface-Initiated Anionic Ring Opening Polymerization (SI-AROP). Polyester brushes with varied hydrolytic stability are synthesized from stable macroinitiators for strong surface binding and initiating site reuse. By using these brushes, surface modifications with a well-defined degradation that can be re-grown on the same surface are enabled, moving towards a more circular approach on polymer brush growth.Chapter 6 reports the synthesis and applicability of degradable polyphosphoester brushes for anti-biofouling applications. Despite extensive research and use of synthetic polymer coatings in biomedical applications, concerns regarding their long-term non-biodegradability have arisen. To address this, polyphosphonate brushes with varied hydrolytic stability are synthesized for the first time as anti-biofouling coatings on silicon surfaces via controlled surface-initiated organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization (SI-ROP) of cyclic phospholanes. The enhanced stability and great anti-biofouling performance of hydrophilic polyphosphonate brushes could pose as a very attractive option as anti-biofouling coatings on medical devices or as lubricious coatings for artificial implant technologies.Chapter 7 provides the perspectives on polymer brush coatings towards circular applications. An overview of the available research on degradable brush coatings is presented, together with an assessment of the challenges to be addressed to implement currently used approaches on degradation and chemical recycling of bulk polymers to polymer brushes. The successful recycling of polymer brush coatings will have significant implications in various industries, ranging from biomedical to sensing technologies.Chapter 2Switching (bio-)adhesion and friction in liquid by stimulus-responsive polymer coatings