50th Anniversary Perspective: Polymer Brushes: Novel Surfaces for Future Materials

Polymer brushes have become a significant focus of polymer research with the need for straightforward and versatile surface modification. With the development of controlled radical polymerization from surfaces, new theoretical models, and sophisticated characterization tools, the resulting ability to control brush density and brush thickness gives unparalleled control over surface properties and functionality. By increasing brush density, a stretched brush conformation is formed as a result of constraining the cross-sectional area of that brush strand which thereby influences the interactions of molecules with the brush surface. The associated residual stress also gives polymer brushes properties distinct from an equivalent layer of coated polymer chains. Examples of uncharged and charged “grown from” polymer brushes, the effect of architecture on physical behavior, and the influence of nanoscale patterning will be described. The use of brush surfaces in biology relevant applications will be discussed and include resistance to nonspecific binding, cell bioadhesion, their use as platforms for biosensors, thermoresponsive surfaces, and targeted protein binding.