It Is the Outside That
Counts: Chemical and Physical
Control of Dynamic Surfaces
- Publication date
- Publisher
Abstract
Materials capable of dynamically controlling surface
chemistry
and topography are highly desirable. We have designed a system that
is uniquely able to remotely control the presented functionality and
geometry at a given time by using a functionalizable shape memory
material. This was accomplished by incorporating controlled amounts
of an azide-containing monomer into a shape memory polymeric material.
These materials are capable of physically changing surface geometry
over a broad range of length scales from >1 mm to 100 nm. Using
copper-assisted
click chemistry, they can be functionalized with a variety of molecules
to yield different surfaces. Combining these features gave materials
that can change both the presented geometry and functionality at tunable
transition temperatures