Synthesis of poly(oligo(ethylene glycol)methacrylate)‐functionalized membranes for thermally controlled drug delivery

In this work a robust method for grafting thermoresponsive poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylates) (pOEGMA) macromolecules from polymeric porous membranes and silicon surfaces is presented. Hydrophilic track‐etched polyester (PETE) membranes with submicrometer pore sizes and silicon dies were submitted to a plasma treatment, which successfully allowed the introduction of anchoring groups and further grafting of the initiator on the surface. The surface‐initiated polymerization of OEGMA was carried out by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), yielding dense polymer brushes. Moreover, the temperature‐controlled transport of caffeine through the functionalized membranes was demonstrated and the influence of the pore morphology and immobilized polymer layer thickness on the permeation profile was investigated.