ATR-IR Investigation of Solvent Interactions with Surface-Bound Polymers.

Solvent interactions with bulk and surface-bound polymer brushes are crucial for functionalities such as controlled friction and thermoresponsive adhesion. To study such interactions, the temperature-induced solvent-quality changes and the effect of surface tethering on the mechanical and tribological properties of poly(dodecyl methacrylate) (P12MA) brushes have been investigated by means of attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM) and lateral force microscopy (LFM). These results have been compared with temperature-dependent UV-visible spectrophotometry (UV-vis) data for the corresponding bulk polymer solutions. The ATR-IR results clearly show that increasing temperature enhances ethanol uptake in P12MA, which results in film swelling. This is accompanied by a marked increase in both adhesion and friction. We have also shown that a combination of solvents, such as toluene and ethanol, can lead to a temperature-dependent solvent partitioning within the polymer brush. To our knowledge this is the first time preferential solvent uptake in a grafted-from brush has been monitored via in situ ATR-IR. Moreover, we have observed remarkably different behavior for polymer chains in solution compared to the behavior of similar chains bound to a surface. The presented findings on the temperature-dependent solvent interactions of surface-grafted P12MA reveal previously unknown solvation phenomena and open up a range of possible applications in the area of stimuli-responsive materials.

Fully Tunable Silicon Nanowire Arrays Fabricated by Soft Nanoparticle Templating.

We demonstrate a fabrication breakthrough to produce large-area arrays of vertically aligned silicon nanowires (VA-SiNWs) with full tunability of the geometry of the single nanowires and of the whole array, paving the way toward advanced programmable designs of nanowire platforms. At the core of our fabrication route, termed "Soft Nanoparticle Templating", is the conversion of gradually compressed self-assembled monolayers of soft nanoparticles (microgels) at a water-oil interface into customized lithographical masks to create VA-SiNW arrays by means of metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE). This combination of bottom-up and top-down techniques affords excellent control of nanowire etching site locations, enabling independent control of nanowire spacing, diameter and height in a single fabrication route. We demonstrate the fabrication of centimeter-scale two-dimensional gradient photonic crystals exhibiting continuously varying structural colors across the entire visible spectrum on a single silicon substrate, and the formation of tunable optical cavities supported by the VA-SiNWs, as unambiguously demonstrated through numerical simulations. Finally, Soft Nanoparticle Templating is combined with optical lithography to create hierarchical and programmable VA-SiNW patterns.

Response of Plasma-Polymerized Hexamethyldisiloxane Films to Aqueous Environments.

Thin plasma polymer films were deposited in hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) and HMDSO/O2 low-pressure discharges and their chemical structures analyzed using infrared (IR) spectroscopy and neutron reflectometry (NR). The (plasma-polymerized) ppHMDSO film exhibits hydrophobic, poly(dimethylsiloxane)-like properties, while the retention of carbon groups is reduced by O2 addition, yielding a more inorganic, hydrophilic ppSiOx film. Both films show a minor (vertical) density gradient perpendicular to the substrate, where the exposed film surface seems to be more oxidized, indicating oxidative aging reactions upon contact with air. The hydration and water uptake abilities of the films in aqueous environments were investigated in humid environments using ellipsometry, NR in D2O, and multiple transmission-reflection IR measurements after equilibration of the films in water.

Versatile method for AFM-tip functionalization with biomolecules: fishing a ligand by means of an in situ click reaction.

A facile and universal method for the functionalization of an AFM tip has been developed for chemical force spectroscopy (CFS) studies of intermolecular interactions of biomolecules. A click reaction between tripod-acetylene and an azide-linker-ligand molecule was successfully carried out on the AFM tip surface and used for the CFS study of ligand-receptor interactions.

Effect of leaving group on the structures of alkylsilane SAMs.

Multiple transmission and reflection (MTR) infrared spectroscopy has been used to study the kinetics of the formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of octadecylsilanes with different leaving groups, viz. trichloro, trimethoxy, and triethoxy. It was observed that the chlorosilanes form much denser and crystalline-like SAMs and ethoxysilanes form thin SAMs, while methoxysilanes form extremely thin SAMs. The high sensitivity of the MTR IR technique allows the molecular conformations of the alkyl chains and appearance/disappearance of the silanol groups to be scrutinized in detail. This enables the formulation of models for the structures of the SAMs that are in many ways different than the classical picture of silanes on oxide surfaces. We observe that the structure of SAMs depends on the rate of hydrolysis of the leaving groups and thus their chemical nature. SAMs of chlorosilanes resemble a structure of snow moguls or densely packed umbrellas. SAMs of ethoxysilanes, on the other hand, look like stacks of fallen trees, while the molecules of the ultrathin methoxysilane SAMs are lying nearly parallel to the surface, resembling creepers.

Adhesion and friction properties of polymer brushes on rough surfaces: a gradient approach.

The effect of nanoscale surface roughness on the lubrication properties of a polymer brush in a good solvent has been investigated. Friction and adhesion forces were measured by means of polyethylene colloidal-probe AFM across a 12 nm silica particle gradient before and after the adsorption of a poly(L-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLL-g-PEG) polymer brush. The adsorption and conformation of the polymer chains were studied with multiple transmission and reflection infrared (MTR-IR) spectroscopy. The results show that prior to the adsorption of PLL-g-PEG on the gradient surface, the friction is high at the smooth end of the gradient while it decreases toward the rough end. Moreover, there is a direct correlation between friction and adhesion. Upon adsorption of the brushes, adhesion vanishes. In this case, a higher frictional force between the PEG-coated particle gradient substrate and the polyethylene sphere is observed at the rough end of the gradient in comparison to the smooth end. In spite of the increased adsorbed mass of PLL-g-PEG at the rough end of the gradient, theory and simulations show that the high curvature of the nanoparticles leads to a less swollen PEG brush in comparison to PEG brushes adsorbed on a planar surface, resulting in a lower repulsion, which can explain the observed increase in friction with particle density.

Sol-gel transition in dispersions of layered double-hydroxide nanosheets.

Surfactant-intercalated layered double-hydroxide solid Mg-Al LDH-dodecyl sulfate (DDS) undergoes rapid and facile delamination to its ultimate constituent, single sheets of nanometer thickness and micrometer size, in a nonpolar solvent such as toluene to form stable dispersions. The delaminated nanosheets are electrically neutral because the surfactant chains remain tethered to the inorganic layer even on exfoliation. With increasing volume fraction of the solid, the dispersion transforms from a free-flowing sol to a solidlike gel. Here we have investigated the sol-gel transition in dispersions of the hydrophobically modified Mg-Al LDH-DDS in toluene by rheology, SAXS, and (1)H NMR measurements. The rheo-SAXS measurements show that the sharp rise in the viscosity of the dispersion during gel formation is a consequence of a tactoidal microstructure formed by the stacking of the nanosheets with an intersheet separation of 3.92 nm. The origin and nature of the attractive forces that lead to the formation of the tactoidal structure were obtained from 1D and 2D (1)H NMR measurements that provided direct evidence of the association of the toluene solvent molecules with the terminal methyl of the tethered DDS surfactant chains. Gel formation is a consequence of the attractive dispersive interactions of toluene molecules with the tails of DDS chains anchored to opposing Mg-Al LDH sheets. The toluene solvent molecules function as molecular "glue" holding the nanosheets within the tactoidal microstructure together. Our study shows how rheology, SAXS, and NMR measurements complement each other to provide a molecular-level description of the sol-gel transition in dispersions of a hydrophobically modified layered double hydroxide.

Composition driven monolayer to bilayer transformation in a surfactant intercalated Mg-Al layered double hydroxide.

The structure and organization of dodecyl sulfate (DDS) surfactant chains intercalated in an Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH), Mg(1-x)Alx(OH)2, with differing Al/Mg ratios has been investigated. The Mg-Al LDHs can be prepared over a range of compositions with x varying from 0.167 to 0.37 and therefore provides a simple system to study how the organization of the alkyl chains of the intercalated DDS anions change with packing density; the Al/Mg ratio or x providing a convenient handle to do so. Powder X-ray diffraction measurements showed that at high packing densities (x ≥ 0.3) the alkyl chains of the intercalated dodecyl sulfate ions are anchored on opposing LDH sheets and arranged as bilayers with an interlayer spacing of ∼27 Å. At lower packing densities (x < 0.2) the surfactant chains form a monolayer with the alkyl chains oriented flat in the galleries with an interlayer spacing of ∼8 Å. For the in between compositions, 0.2 ≤ x < 0.3, the material is biphasic. MD simulations were performed to understand how the anchoring density of the intercalated surfactant chains in the Mg-Al LDH-DDS affects the organization of the chains and the interlayer spacing. The simulations are able to reproduce the composition driven monolayer to bilayer transformation in the arrangement of the intercalated surfactant chains and in addition provide insights into the factors that decide the arrangement of the surfactant chains in the two situations. In the bilayer arrangement, it is the dispersive van der Waals interactions between chains in opposing layers of the anchored bilayer that is responsible for the cohesive energy of the solid whereas at lower packing densities, where a monolayer arrangement is favored, Coulomb interactions between the positively charged Mg-Al LDH sheets and the negatively charged headgroup of the DDS anion dominate.

Neutral Nanosheets that Gel: Exfoliated Layered Double Hydroxides in Toluene.

A simple strategy to exfoliate inorganic layered double hydroxide (LDH) solids to their ultimate constituent, intact single layers of nanometer thickness and micrometer size, is presented. The procedure involves intercalation of an ionic surfactant that forms a hydrophobic anchored surfactant bilayer in the galleries of the solid followed by simply stirring the intercalated solid in toluene. The method is rapid but at the same time gentle enough to produce exfoliated nanosheets of regular morphology that are electrically neutral and form stable gels at higher concentrations. In this Letter, we describe the phenomena and use molecular dynamics simulations to show that exfoliation of the LDH in toluene is a consequence of the modification of the cohesive dispersive interactions between surfactant chains anchored on opposing inorganic sheets by the toluene molecules. The toluene molecules function as a molecular glue, holding the surfactant-anchored LDH sheets together, leading to gel formation.