Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
4397188 
Journal Article 
Functionalization of Titanium Surfaces with Polymer Brushes Prepared from a Biomimetic RAFT Agent 
Zobrist, C; Sobocinski, J; Lyskawa, J; Fournier, D; Miri, V; Traisnel, M; Jimenez, M; Woisel, P 
2011 
1 
Macromolecules
ISSN: 0024-9297
EISSN: 1520-5835 
44 
15 
5883-5892 
WOS:000293353800011 
Well-defined dopamine end-functionalized polymers were synthesized by employing the reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization technique. tert-Butyl acrylate, N-isopropylacrylamide, and styrene monomers were polymerized in the presence of azobis (isobutyronitrile) and a new catechol-based biomimetic RAFT agent incorporating a trithiocarbonate unit. All RAFT polymerizations exhibited pseudofirst-order kinetics, a linear increase of the number-average molar mass (M(n) SEC) with conversion and narrow molar mass distributions (polydispersity <1.2). The resulting homopolymers exhibited the electroactive catechol and the omega-trithiocarbonyl end groups. Subsequent immobilization of dopamine end-functionalized polymers on titanium surfaces was monitored by using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor, and the resulting films were characterized by contact angle, infrared ATR spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).