Controlling polymer-surface interactions with random copolymer brushes
Abstract
A simple technique for precisely controlling the interfacial energies and wetting behavior of polymers in contact with solid surfaces is described. End-functionalized statistical random copolymers of styrene and methylmethacrylate were synthesized, with the styrene fraction f varying from 0 to 1, and were end-grafted onto silicon substrates to create random copolymer brushes about 5 nanometers thick. For f < 0.7, polystyrene (PS) films (20 nanometers thick) rapidly dewet from the brushes when heated well above the glass transition temperature. The contact angle of the resulting polymer droplets increased monotonically with decreasing f . Similar behavior was observed for poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) films but with an opposite dependence on f . The interfacial energies of the random copolymer brushes with PS and PMMA were equal when f was about 0.6. Thus, precise control of the relative surface affinities of PS and PMMA was possible, demonstrating a way to manipulate polymer-surface interactions.
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The perpendicular orientation of PS-b-PMMA lamellar or cylinder morphologies is attributed to the similarity of the interfacial energies between each block and the air interface.
“This phenomenon is attributed to the similarity of the interfacial energies between each block and the air interface [120].”
From Block Copolymers: Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Applications (2017) · cites this paper as [120]
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- Authors
- Mansky, P., Liu, Y., Huang, E., Russell, T. P., & Hawker, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (US)
- IBM (United States) (US)
- Corresponding author
- Russell, T. P.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1997-03-07
- Volume
- 275
- Issue
- 5305
- Pages
- 1458-1460
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2090446559
- Cited by
- 1,291
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 33 · 2019: 43 · 2018: 51 · 2017: 58 · 2016: 62 · 2015: 66 · 2014: 54 · 2013: 81 · 2012: 83
- FWCI
- 11.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Surfaces, Coatings and Films › Polymer Surface Interaction Studies
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Computational Mechanics › Fluid Dynamics and Thin Films
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Surfaces, Coatings and Films › Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity
- Keywords
- polymer-surface interactions, interfacial energy, wettability, dewetting, styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, end-grafted polymers, polystyrene films, poly(methyl methacrylate) films, contact angle, glass transition temperature, silicon substrate, surface affinity
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