ADSORPTION OF RANDOM COPOLYMERS ON SILICA - EPR SPECTROSCOPY STUDY

Random copolymers of dimethylacrylamide and glycidyl acrylate (GA) were spin labeled with 4-amino tempo on a small percentage of GA groups. These copolymers were adsorbed on nonporous silica particles in chloroform and their conformation was studied by EPR spectroscopy. Influence of surface coverage was studied at two different copolymer compositions. The EPR results correlated with FTIR results of a previous study performed on the same samples and are consistent with a local stiffness dependent on the copolymer composition of the adsorbed chains. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.