Nanosecond dynamics of poly(methyl methacrylate) brushes in solvents studied by fluorescence depolarization method

Nanosecond dynamics of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) brushes in solvents studied by fluorescence depolarization method is presented. The dye-labeled graft PMMA was prepared by the surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and perylenyl methyl methacrylate (PeMMA). A clean quartz plate was immersed in a toluene solution of [2-(4-chlorosulfonylphenyl)-ethyl]trichlorosilane (CTCS) and phenethyltrichlorosilane (PhTCS) for 2 hours. The thickness of graft PMMA film was measured by atomic force microscopy and the time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy was measured by time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) method. The free PMMA chain in the solution at a concentration of 0.33g/mL showed the decay of fluorescence anisotropy with a correlation time of 9.9 ns slower than in the dilute solution.