Jeremy Yatvin

SuFEx on the Surface: A Flexible Platform for Postpolymerization Modification of Polymer Brushes

Polymer brushes present a unique architecture for tailoring surface functionalities due to their distinctive physicochemical properties. However, the polymerization chemistries used to grow brushes place limitations on the monomers that can be grown directly from the surface. Several forms of click chemistry have previously been used to modify polymer brushes by postpolymerization modification with high efficiency, however, it is usually difficult to include the unprotected moieties in the original monomer. We present the use of a new form of click chemistry known as SuFEx (sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange), which allows a silyl ether to be rapidly and quantitatively clicked to a polymer brush grown by free-radical polymerization containing native -SO2F groups with rapid pseudo-first-order rates as high as 0.04 s(-1). Furthermore, we demonstrate the use of SuFEx to facilely add a variety of other chemical functional groups to brush substrates that have highly useful and orthogonal reactivity, including alkynes, thiols, and dienes.

Multifunctional Surface Manipulation Using Orthogonal Click Chemistry

Polymer brushes are excellent substrates for the covalent immobilization of a wide variety of molecules due to their unique physicochemical properties and high functional group density. By using reactive microcapillary printing, poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate) brushes with rapid kinetic rates toward aminolysis can be partially patterned with other click functionalities such as strained cyclooctyne derivatives and sulfonyl fluorides. This trireactive surface can then react locally and selectively in a one pot reaction via three orthogonal chemistries at room temperature: activated ester aminolysis, strain promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition, and sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange, all of which are tolerant of ambient moisture and oxygen. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these reactions can also be used to create areas of morphologically distinct surface features on the nanoscale, by inducing buckling instabilities in the films and the grafting of nanoparticles. This approach is modular, and allows for the development of highly complex surface motifs patterned with different chemistry and morphology.

SuFEx Click: New Materials from SOxF and Silyl Ethers

New forms of click chemistry present new opportunities in materials science. Sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) is a recently discovered click reaction between molecules containing SOx F groups and silyl ethers, two functionalities that are orthogonal to all other known click chemistries, that generates sulfate or sulfonate connections upon the addition of certain organobases or fluoride sources. SuFEx also has several important advantages over other click reactions in that it is insensitive to ambient oxygen and water, and its precursor materials, especially SOx F, are chemically, UV, and thermally inert. This Concept article focuses on the unique reactivity of SuFEx and its relation to building high molecular weight polymers and surface coatings, both of which make it a powerful new tool for materials science.

Permanently grafted icephobic nanocomposites with high abrasion resistance

In this work, a series of copolymer/silica nanocomposites are investigated that exhibit excellent anti-icing behavior and can be covalently grafted to any substrate containing C–H bonds with high durability. The copolymers of interest consist of pendant benzophenone, hexafluorobutyl, and a variety of other comonomers that, under mild UV irradiation, can be covalently grafted on a variety of substrates and generate a densely cross-linked network of polymer and well-dispersed nanoparticles. The robustness of thin films was compared in a series of terpolymers with different acrylic comonomer content. Thin films prepared with tert-butyl ester side groups had less backbone chain scission and, therefore, a greater extent of cross-linking than films prepared with n-butyl ester side groups. The iso-butyl acrylate comonomer promotes photoreaction efficiency in terms of kinetic rate and network robustness, leading to films that can sustain high shear forces and abrasion. The anti-icing capability of the composite was investigated using the impact of supercooled water on different substrates. The composite maintains its icephobicity after modified Taber testing with multiple abrasion cycles using a 300 g load, which demonstrates excellent mechanical resistance. In addition, this study has led to rational design rules for copolymers that maximize permanent attachment of different surface functionalities in terms of both grafting density and reaction kinetics.

Direct functionalization of Kevlar® with copolymers containing sulfonyl nitrenes

Generating innovative methods to functionalize fibers and interfaces are important strategies for developing coatings that impart new or improved properties to a given material. In this work, we present a method for functionalizing highly inert poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (Kevlar®) fibers via thermal generation of an electrophilic nitrene, while preserving the mechanical properties of the aramid. Because of the high affinity of the sulfonyl nitrene singlet state for aromatic rings, the use of a sulfonyl azide-based copolymer allows the covalent grafting of a wide variety of common commercial polymers to Kevlar. Also, by using reactive ester copolymers, an avenue for the attachment of more exotic or delicate functionalities like small molecules, dyes, and biomolecules through postpolymerization modification is described.