Plasmon-induced nitroxide-mediated polymerisation: a method for preparation of functional surfaces
A plasmon as a stimulus opens up new opportunities for selective and regulated "from-surface” polymerisation and functionalisation of surfaces.
In a recent study, the first example of plasmon-assisted nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP) of stimuli-responsive block copolymers poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-co-4-vinylboronic acid is reported. The growth of a polymer film at room temperature was achieved via plasmon-induced homolysis of alkoxyamines covalently attached to the surface of plasmon-active gold gratings at room temperature.
Strong support for the plasmon-initiated mechanism of NMP
Control of temperature, finite-difference time-domain method simulation of plasmon intensity distribution shift during polymerisation, electron paramagnetic resonance experiments and other assays provide strong support for the plasmon-initiated mechanism of NMP.
The scientists demonstrated not only the control of the resulting polymer thickness but also the preparation of a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy chip for the detection of glycoproteins as a powerful example of plasmon-assisted NMP potential.
The study has been published in Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Issue 20, 2019.
