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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik
CPP 22: Poster Session III - Charged Soft Matter and Theory and Simulation
CPP 22.35: Poster
Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 16:30–18:30, CPPp
End-Adsorbing Chains in Polymer Brushes: Pathway to Highly Metastable Switchable Surfaces — •Markus Koch1, Dirk Romeis1, and Jens-Uwe Sommer1,2 — 1Institute Theory of Polymers, IPF Dresden, Germany — 2Institute Theory of Physics, TU Dresden, Germany
Polymer brushes are promising systems for the design of stimulus-responsive surfaces. In addition, it is often highly desirable to controllably hide or expose functional groups. To this end, we investigate monodisperse polymer brushes, which contain a small fraction of end-modified minority chains [1]. The length of these chains is variable and their end groups can adsorb to the grafting surface. We study these systems using Scheutjens-Fleer SCF calculations [2], MD simulations, and analytical theory. The conformational changes of the admixed chains are explored, which depend on their length and the attraction between their end groups and the surface. Based on the free energy profiles of the adsorption transition, free energy barriers are extracted, which are in good agreement with our theoretical predictions. The barriers are strongly reduced upon the collapse of the brush and can be tuned to attain reversible or irreversible switching behavior.
Financial support by the DFG, project SO 277/17-1, is gratefully acknowledged.
[1] Koch, M., Romeis, D., Sommer, J.-U., Macromolecules, 53 (17), 7356-7368 (2021)
[2] Fleer, G. J., et al. Polymers at Interfaces. London, Chapman and Hall, 1993