Role of Polymer Brush Dynamics on Adhesion via Complementary Binding Events

技术概要：固体或流体界面处的聚合物链在各种技术中具有广泛的应用，如胶体稳定、润滑、粘附和生物相容性界面的合成。 链显示这种界面活性的能力不仅取决于它们的静态结构，还取决于它们的动态行为。 高灵敏度的结合和粘附实验将被开发，以评估接枝聚合物链的动态构象采样和链动态互补粘附的影响。 利用表面力装置技术（SFA），其具有埃的距离分辨率和10 pN的力分辨率，将确定官能化聚合物链和互补受体基团之间发生结合的绝对距离作为时间的函数，从而允许测量链的动态运动。 交叉桥形成的速率是接枝聚合物链末端的空间探索的直接量度。 粘附能将与各个键的相互作用势相关，包括生物识别分子、表面浓度、链的物理性质和接枝聚合物层的结构。 实验方法将被应用到各种各样的接枝架构（包括单分散，双峰和多分散），提供定量测量链动力学和粘附力。 这些研究的总体目标是合理设计具有可调粘附性的智能界面聚合物膜。 非技术性总结：固体或流体界面处的聚合物链在各种技术中具有广泛的应用，如胶体稳定、润滑、粘附和生物相容性界面的合成。 聚合物显示这种界面活性的能力不仅取决于它们的静态结构，而且取决于它们的动态行为。 这项工作将开发和利用新的实验来直接测量聚合物链的动态运动。实验方法将被应用到各种各样的聚合物体系结构提供链动力学和粘附力的定量测量。 这些研究的总体目标是合理设计具有可调粘附性的智能界面聚合物膜。 本研究以研究生和本科生为主要参与者。 一个新的教育计划，题为聚合物他们无处不在将由主要研究者开发用于高中水平，夏季推广计划，以少数民族学生。

TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Polymer chains at solid or fluid interfaces have an enormous spectrum of applications in technologies as varied as colloidal stabilization, lubrication, adhesion and the synthesis of biocompatible interfaces. The ability of chains to display such interfacial activity is dependent not only on their static structure but also on their dynamic behavior. Highly sensitive binding and adhesion experiments will be developed to assess the dynamic conformational sampling of grafted polymer chains and the impact of chain dynamics on complementary adhesion. Utilizing the Surface Forces Apparatus technique (SFA), which has angstrom resolution in distance and 10 pN resolution in force, the absolute distance at which binding occurs between functionalized polymer chains and complementary receptor groups will be determined as a function of time allowing the dynamic motion of the chains to be measured. The rate of cross-bridge formation is a direct measure of the spatial exploration of the end of the grafted polymer chains. The adhesion energy will be related to the interaction potential of the individual bonds including biological recognition molecules, surface concentration, physical properties of the chains, and structure of the grafted polymer layer. The experimental methodology will be applied to a wide variety of grafted architectures (including monodisperse, bimodal and polydisperse) providing quantitative measures of chain dynamics and adhesion. The overall goal of these studies is to rationally design smart interfacial polymer-films with tunable adhesivity. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Polymer chains at solid or fluid interfaces have an enormous spectrum of applications in technologies as varied as colloidal stabilization, lubrication, adhesion and the synthesis of biocompatible interfaces. The ability of polymers to display such interfacial activity is dependent not only on their static structure but also on their dynamic behavior. This work will develop and utilize novel experiments to directly measure the dynamic motion of polymer chains. The experimental methodology will be applied to a wide variety of polymer architectures providing quantitative measures of chain dynamics and adhesion. The overall goal of these studies is to rationally design smart interfacial polymer-films with tunable adhesivity. The research actively involves graduate and undergraduates students as the key research participants. A new educational program entitled Polymers Theyre Everywhere will be developed by the principal investigator for use in a high school level, summer outreach program to minority students.