Controlled grafting of N-isoproply acrylamide brushes onto self-standing isotactic polypropylene thin films: surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

Surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) technique using CuBr/CuBr2/bpy complex is employed to graft N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAA) brushes onto ‘self-standing’ isotactic polypropylene (iPP) film surface via iPP-Br macro-initiator. The successful accomplishment of surface grafting is understood from the UV–Vis, ATR-FTIR, XPS, SEM analysis and contact angle measurements of the modified samples. The ability to control the degree of grafting of NIPAA brushes reaffirms the elegance of the surface initiated ATRP technique to develop tailor-made polymer surfaces. The LCST nature of the NIPAA brushes would introduce stimuli responsive character onto the surface of the iPP films used for various specialty applications, especially for biomedical purposes.