title: Surface initiated supplemental activator and reducing agent atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-SARA-ATRP) of 4-vinylpyridine on poly(ethylene terephthalate).
abstract: Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates were modified by means of surface-initiated supplemental activator and reducing agent atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-SARA-ATRP) of 4-vinylpyridine (4VP). Substrates were pretreated in order to graft chloromethylbenzene (CMB) units capable of initiating the radical polymerization reaction of 4VP units. Surface characterization techniques, including Water Contact Angle (WCA), Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) showed a successful grafting of a stable, smooth and homogenous layer of p4VP. This process offers the advantages of a rapid, simplified and low cost strategy to chemically modify polymer substrates with covalently bonded layer of the pH responsive p4VP for different applications. Moreover, by using TOF-SIMS profiling, we were able to track a density gradient along the z-axis generated by the interpenetrating phases of the different layers of the final modified surface. Fact that we correlated to the various positions of initiation sites within the polyethylenimine (PEI) used for PET aminolysis prior to CMB grafting. Our strategy will be used in future work to graft other polymers for different applications where industrial scale viable options are needed.
authors.affiliation: Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, National Council for Scientific Research, CNRS-L, Beirut, Lebanon; Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), UMR 8182, Univ Paris Sud, Université Paris Saclay, 91405, Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Mohamad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maaz
authors.affiliation: Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, National Council for Scientific Research, CNRS-L, Beirut, Lebanon. Electronic address: tamara.elzein@cnrs.edu.lb.
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Elzein
authors.affiliation: Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, National Council for Scientific Research, CNRS-L, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bejjani
authors.affiliation: Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), UMR 8182, Univ Paris Sud, Université Paris Saclay, 91405, Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barroca-Aubry
authors.affiliation: Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), UMR 8182, Univ Paris Sud, Université Paris Saclay, 91405, Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Bénédicte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lepoittevin
authors.affiliation: Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), UMR 8182, Univ Paris Sud, Université Paris Saclay, 91405, Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dragoe
authors.affiliation: Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), UMR 8182, Univ Paris Sud, Université Paris Saclay, 91405, Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazerat
authors.affiliation: Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, National Council for Scientific Research, CNRS-L, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Bilal
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nsouli
authors.affiliation: Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay (ICMMO), UMR 8182, Univ Paris Sud, Université Paris Saclay, 91405, Orsay, France. Electronic address: philippe.roger@u-psud.fr.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roger
keywords: 4-Vinylpyridine 4VP; Poly(ethylene terephthalate) PET; Surface-initiated supplemental activator and reducing agent atom transfer radical polymerization SARA ATRP; ToF-SIMS; XPS