Electrochemically switchable polymerization from surface-anchored molecular catalysts
Miao Qi, Haochuan Zhang, Qi Dong, Jingyi Li, Rebecca A. Musgrave, Yanyan Zhao, Nicholas Dulock, Dunwei Wang, Jeffery A. Byers
Abstract
nanoparticles on fluorine-doped tin oxide resulted in an electrically addressable surface that could be used to demonstrate spatial control in redox-switchable polymerization reactions. By using a substrate that contained two electrically isolated domains wherein one domain was exposed to an oxidizing potential, patterns of surface-bound polyesters and polyethers were accessible through sequential application of lactide and cyclohexene oxide. The differentially functionalized surfaces demonstrated distinct physical properties that illustrated the promise for using the method to pattern surfaces with multiple, chemically distinct polymer brushes.