Free-Radical-Induced Grafting from Plasma Polymer Surfaces

With the advances in science and engineering in the second part of the 20th century, emerging plasma-based technologies continuously find increasing applications in the domain of polymer chemistry, among others. Plasma technologies are predominantly used in two different ways: for the treatment of polymer substrates by a reactive or inert gas aiming at a specific surface functionalization or for the synthesis of a plasma polymer with a unique set of properties from an organic or mixed organic-inorganic precursor. Plasma polymer films (PPFs), often deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), currently attract a great deal of attention. Such films are widely used in various fields for the coating of solid substrates, including membranes, semiconductors, metals, textiles, and polymers, because of a combination of interesting properties such as excellent adhesion, highly cross-linked structures, and the possibility of tuning properties by simply varying the precursor and/or the synthesis parameters. Among the many appealing features of plasma-synthesized and -treated polymers, a highly reactive surface, rich in free radicals arising from deposition/treatment specifics, offers a particular advantage. When handled carefully, these reactive free radicals open doors to the controllable surface functionalization of materials without affecting their bulk properties. The goal of this review is to illustrate the increasing application of plasma-based technologies for tuning the surface properties of polymers, principally through free-radical chemistry.

Tunable luminescence of lanthanide (Ln = Sm, Eu, Tb) hydrophilic ionic polymers based on poly(N-methyl-4-vinylpyridinium-co-styrene) cations

Hydrophilic luminescent lanthanide-containing ionic polymers poly-[MVPS]₂[Ln(NO₃)₅] were prepared, which can be utilized as reversible colorimetric water-responsive sensors.

Cationic polythiophene for specific detection of cyanide ions in water using fluorometric technique

A new fluorometric cyanide sensor using cationic polythiophene exhibits high sensitivity, selectivity with a low detection limit (4.4 ppb) in water.

Interactions of a zwitterionic thiophene-based conjugated polymer with surfactants

Structural organization and photoluminescence properties of zwitterionic conjugated polymer–surfactant assemblies depend on specific and non-specific polymer–surfactant interactions within the aggregate.