Process for Modifying Substrates with Grafted Polymers
Project Leader: Daniel J. Dyer
Unit: College of Science, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Brief Description:
When polymer chains are tethered to an interface, they may stretch out away from that interface. Such films are called "polymer brushes." Polymer brushes offer a unique approach to the synthesis of well-defined structures with controlled functionality on the nanometer scale. Inorganic and organic substrates can be modified with organic polymers by a variety of techniques.
This invention describes a chemical process for modifying inorganic and organic substrates with thin polymer films that are grafted to a substrate. The preferred composition includes a dimethylamino terminated precursor that is deposited as a self-assembled monolayer onto a gold or silicon oxide or other substrate. The polymerization is then initiated by irradiation with UV light in the presence of a monomer and an optional photosensitizer. A feature of this invention is the use of a dimethylamino terminated initiator for the synthesis of such films.
Patent Status:
Patent pending. U.S. patent application no. 20060160916.
Potential Commercial Uses:
These organic films will impact a variety of fields, including biomaterials for tissue engineering, drug delivery, implants and cell adhesion, and protein recognition. Other areas include adhesion and wetting, microfluidics, nanofluidics, microfabrication, nanofabrication, molecular recognition, chemical sensing, protein fractionation, and organic synthesis.
A variety of substrates are available for use as surfaces for the polymerization. Suitable substrates consist of surfaces such as silver and gold including microparticles or nanoparticles thereof. In addition, other surfaces may be utilized, including silicon wafers, silicon oxide glass, mica, quartz, silica gel, and silica microparticles or nanoparticles. Also, the polymerization may be carried out from organic polymer films such as, but not limited to, polystyrene, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, and polyolefins. The polymerization may also be perfomed on Cd/Se nanoparticles. Furthermore, biopolymers or membranes are suitable for use as a substrate for the polymerization, as are hyperbranched polymers, such as dendrimers.
Contact:
Jeff Myers, Senior Technology Transfer Specialist, (618) 453-4543, fax: (618) 453-8038