Heterogeneous binary polymer brushes consist of an assembly of polymer chains of two incompatible polymers that are attached by one end to the surface with sufficient grafting density and have been investigated experimentally only for a short time. Those brushes can be used in the form of ultrathin polymeric layers as a versatile tool for surface engineering to tune physico-chemical surface characteristics as wettability, surface charge, chemical composition or morphology, and furthermore to create switchable and responsive surface properties1. For the fabrication of these layers "grafting from“ (as radical polymerization at the interface) and „grafting to“ (as tethering of the polymer chains from solution) methods were developed and investigated in detail.1
The amplification of the amplitude of switching (from superhydrophilic to ultrahydrophobic) by creating hierarchically structured surfaces2 will be explained as well as the creation of switchable surface structures by environmental responsive lithography3. Additionally examples will be given for the transfer of the concept of binary polymer brushes to particles, which may also have interesting perspectives for an application in the field of coatings.

[1] A. Sidorenko, S. Minko, K. Schenk-Meuser, H. Duschner, M. Stamm, Langmuir 1999, 15, 8349
[2] S. Minko, M. Müller, M. Motornov, M. Nitschke, K. Grundke, M. Stamm , J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 3896
[3] Ionov, L.; Minko, S.; Stamm, M.; Gohy, J. F.; Jérôme, R.; Scholl, A., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 8302-8306.

• Legal notice:
  

  Copyright (c) Pielaszek Research, all rights reserved.
  The above materials, including auxiliary resources, are subject to Publisher's copyright and the Author(s) intellectual rights. Without limiting Author(s) rights under respective Copyright Transfer Agreement, no part of the above documents may be reproduced without the express written permission of Pielaszek Research, the Publisher. Express permission from the Author(s) is required to use the above materials for academic purposes, such as lectures or scientific presentations.
  In every case, proper references including Author(s) name(s) and URL of this webpage: https://science24.com/paper/3569 must be provided.