Synthesis of polymer brushes on silicate substrates via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer technique

Reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) has been used to synthesize polymer brushes. Styrene, methyl methacrylate, and N,N-dimethylacrylamide brushes were prepared under RAFT conditions using silicate surfaces that were modified with surface-immobilized azo initiators. Films with controlled thicknesses were produced. RAFT was also used to synthesize PS-b-PDMA and PDMA-b-PMMA block copolymer brushes that displayed reversible surface properties upon treatment with block-selective solvents.