A Simple Approach to Micro-Patterned Surfaces by Breath Figures with Internal Structure Using Thermoresponsive Amphiphilic Block Copolymers

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Contents Vol 58(8)

doi:10.1071/CH05186

A Simple Approach to Micro-Patterned Surfaces by Breath Figures with Internal Structure Using Thermoresponsive Amphiphilic Block Copolymers

Alexandra Nygard ^A, Thomas P. Davis ^A, Christopher Barner-Kowollik ^A, Martina H. Stenzel ^A ^B

^A Centre for Advanced Macromolecular Design, School of Engineering and Industrial Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia.
^B Corresponding author. Email: camd@unsw.edu.au





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Australian Journal of Chemistry 58(8) 595–599 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/CH05186
Submitted: 1 August 2005 Accepted: 16 August 2005 Published online: 31 August 2005

Abstract

Employing amphiphilic block copolymers in a casting process to obtain honeycomb-structured films via breath figures leads to a suborder of these porous films. A thermoresponsive block copolymer, polystyrene-block-poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide), was synthesized and used to test the arrangement of both blocks within the honeycomb-structured films. Contact angle measurements reveal that the surface of these films has a different composition compared to the structure of the pores. The pores were found to be enriched in hydrophilic sequences showing stimuli-responsive behavior, whereas the surface reacts like a typical hydrophobic porous film.