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Updated: May 30, 2026
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Fabricating Reactive Surfaces with Brush-like and Crosslinked Films of Azlactone-Functionalized Block Co-Polymers
Published on: June 30, 2018
Functionalized and postfunctionalizable porous polymeric films through evaporation-induced phase separation using
Ashok Zachariah Samuel1, S Umapathy, S Ramakrishnan
1Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|August 6, 2011
Summary
Adding surfactants to polymer solutions during film formation controls pore size. Higher surfactant concentration reduces pore size, while more water increases it, enabling tunable porous materials.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Science
- Materials Science
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Porous polymer films are typically formed via rapid evaporation of polymer solutions under humid conditions.
- Water droplet condensation during evaporation is a key mechanism for pore formation.
- Surfactants can modify pore surfaces by adsorbing at water-polymer interfaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of anionic and cationic surfactants on the formation of porous poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films.
- To understand how surfactant concentration and water content influence pore size and distribution.
- To confirm the presence of surfactants at the pore interface.
Main Methods:
- Preparation of porous PMMA films by evaporating solutions of PMMA in tetrahydrofuran (THF) with varying amounts of aqueous surfactant solutions.
- Characterization of pore size and distribution using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Infrared (IR) imaging.
- Demonstration of surfactant presence at pore interfaces using confocal fluorescence microscopy with ionic organic dyes.
Main Results:
- Pore size in PMMA films decreases with increasing surfactant concentration.
- Pore size increases with increasing amounts of added water.
- Confocal fluorescence microscopy confirmed surfactant localization at pore interfaces, visualizing the hydrophilic decoration of pore walls.
Conclusions:
- Surfactant addition provides a method to control the pore size of polymer films formed by evaporative processing.
- The concentration of surfactant and the amount of water are critical parameters for tuning film porosity.
- Surfactants are effectively localized at the pore-water interfaces, decorating the pore surfaces after water removal.
