Journey in polymer physics with the NSF Polymers Program*

We will introduce silicone elastomers as flexible substrates to adjust the density of small-molecule modifiers and polymeric grafts. We will also show how these substrates can regulate the steepness of density gradients of small-molecule assemblies. We will then present the formation of random copolymers with tuned chemical composition and co-monomer sequences by brominating polystyrenes in solvents with selected solubility. We will describe the formation of “random” and “random-blocky” copolymers and study the kinetics of the formation of such copolymers, their adsorption on surfaces, and the stability of films made of such structures. Next, we will discuss the spontaneous degrafting of polymer grafts from surfaces as a function of graft density, molecular weight, charge density and charge distribution, and solution pH. Introducing the “on-demand” degrafting will illustrate the method of determining the grafting density of uncharged polymeric grafts and the formation of spatially varying densities of polymers. Finally, we will introduce the one-pot synthesis method to form surface-anchored polymer networks made by co-reacting sulfonyl-amide organosilanes commodity polymers. We will describe the formation of surface-anchored gel networks with gradually varying crosslink densities using temperature and UV light.