Interface of polymers grafted on silica: Organization of the interfacial layer in presence and absence of solvent

Abstract

The 1H NMR technique is used to study the behaviour of the poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) chains grafted chemically on silica in the presence or not of solvent. A noticeable influence of the different physicochemical parameters on the conformation of the grafted macromolecules is evinced. Different models are proposed for different lengths of grafted polymer chains on the surface in the absence and presence of a solvent. Without solvent, the macromolecules lie very flat and the layer is more organized. In the presence of a solvent, the chains spread out and adopt a more extended conformation and the local concentration of monomers decreases.