Patterned grafting of polymer brushes onto flexible polymer substrates

Abstract

Selective exposure of polymer substrates to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation followed by graft polymerization of a second polymer is used to create patterns of polymer brushes. A key feature of this additive structuring process is the possibility to combine the properties of a polymer substrate in precisely predefined regions with the properties of the grafted material. Styrene brushes were grafted onto poly(ethylene-alt-tetrafluoroethylene)( ETFE) substrates after exposure to synchrotron EUV radiation in an interference lithographic setup. The grafted chains are covalently bound to the surface, which allows physical or chemical post-processing without deterioration of the grafted structures.

Functionalization of Fluropolymers and Polyolefins via Grafting of Polyelectrolyte Brushes From Atmospheric‐Pressure Plasma Activated Surfaces

“…The current work complements and extends former studies in our group by introducing an activation technique that enables the grafting of polymer brushes from substantially larger areas than those achievable with the nanografting approach used previously 29, 30. We report on the transformation of the hydrophobic surfaces of ETFE, PE, and PP (water contact‐angle (CA) ∼ 100°) to hydrophilic surfaces (CA ∼ 10°) by grafting of poly(4‐vinylpyridine) (P4VP) brushes and their subsequent quaternization to obtain a strong PEL.…”

EUV lithographic radiation grafting of thermo-responsive hydrogel nanostructures

“…Typical dependences of the grafting height on reaction parameters such as temperature, reaction time, and exposure dose using free radical polymerization with various monomers has been described earlier [21,32,33]. In the experiments with NIPAAm, we used different exposure doses, and reaction conditions previously optimized for poly-GMA.…”

Radiation-grafted materials for energy conversion and energy storage applications

“…Chemical and mechanical stability of these new ETFE-based membranes appeared to be promising since it was tested for more than 2000 h in the DMFC without any significant loss in performance. [130,[165][166][167][168]. Subsequently, an irradiated substrate is exposed to a monomer solution to perform polymerization from the backbone.…”