Elucidating the impact of side chain dispersity on the assembly of bottlebrush polymers at the <scp>air‐water</scp> interface
Nduka D. Ogbonna, Michael Dearman, Bhuvnesh Bharti, Andrew J. Peters, Jimmy Lawrence
Abstract
Abstract The synthesis of bottlebrush polymers with discrete side chains, their surface pressure isotherm measurements, and thin film molecular dynamics simulations are reported. Our results show that monolayers of bottlebrushes with discrete side chains achieve higher packing densities and exhibit previously unknown, distinct phase transitions that are unseen in their disperse counterparts. The combination of experimental findings and simulation results show that shape‐defined bottlebrush polymers can advance structure–property relationship studies of branched polymers and the theoretical descriptions of polymer monolayer self‐assembly.
Topics & Concepts
DispersityPolymerMonolayerSide chainMaterials scienceMolecular dynamicsPhase (matter)Chain (unit)Chemical physicsChemical engineeringPolymer chemistryChemistryNanotechnologyComposite materialOrganic chemistryComputational chemistryPhysicsEngineeringAstronomyPolymer Surface Interaction StudiesSurfactants and Colloidal SystemsBlock Copolymer Self-Assembly