Volume Transition andAdhesion Force of Nanosized Bifunctional Spherical PolyelectrolyteBrushes Observed by Dynamic Light Scattering and Atomic Force Microscopy.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Huang, Shibin; Guo, Xuhong; Li, Li; Dong, Yaming
- Source
- Journal of Physical Chemistry B. Aug2012, Vol. 116 Issue 33, p10079-10088. 10p.
- Subject
- *POLYELECTROLYTES
*LIGHT scattering
*ATOMIC force microscopy
*NANOPARTICLES
*COPOLYMERIZATION
*SURFACE chemistry
- Language
- ISSN
- 1520-6106
Stimuli-responsive nanoparticles have attracted considerableinterest due to their enormous potential applications. In this paper,nanosized bifunctional spherical polyelectrolyte brushes (BSPBs) wereprepared through grafting random copolymer chains from N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) and acrylic acid (AA) onto polystyrenecore by photoemulsion polymerization. The pH- and thermo-responsesof the BSPB with different ratio of NIPA and AA were investigatedby dynamic light scattering. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employedto in situ monitor the pH response of the morphology and surface adhesionof BSPB as well as to visualize BSPB individually or as monolayerin air and liquid. The brush-like shell was illegible in electronmicroscopy images but clearly observed in AFM images. The resultsdemonstrated that AFM was a powerful tool for in situ observing thestimulus-response of brushes on the surface of nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]