The Effect of [CuI]/[CuII] Ratio on the Kinetics and Conformation of Polyelectrolyte Brushes by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Summary: The atom transfer radical polymerization of [2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (METAC) has been studied under different [Cu I ]/[Cu II ] ratios. The reaction kinetics is followed by ellipsometry and quartz crystal microbalance and it was found that the reaction speed influences the grafting density of the polymer brushes. High [Cu I ]/[Cu II ] ratios, i.e., fast polymerizations, lead to less dense polymer brushes. Plot of the frequency change of wet brushes on a QCM crystal (Δ f ) versus the dry thickness of brushes synthesized at different [Cu I ]/[Cu II ] ratios. image Plot of the frequency change of wet brushes on a QCM crystal (Δ f ) versus the dry thickness of brushes synthesized at different [Cu I ]/[Cu II ] ratios.