1. Structural and Frictional Interactions between Microphase Segregated, Multi-component Polymer Brushes
S. Michael Kilbey II, Departments of Chemistry and of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996
Surface modification using polymeric materials is important for a variety of technological applications ranging from new biomaterials to lubricious coatings. Our aim is to connect the structures adopted by surfactant-like block copolymers in solution with the structure and properties of interfacial coatings formed by adsorption of multi-component polymers having complex architectures. Our research has revealed the importance of surface relaxation and reorganization processes on preferential adsorption and demonstrated the utility of a rate-based model for quantifying how copolymer design and adsorption conditions influence self-assembled structure and dynamics.
Preferential adsorption of micellear ensembles formed from simple branched molecules (above) and highly branched star-block copolymers (right) is strongly influenced by surface reorganizations.