Synthesis of grafted polymer chains intiated from the free surface

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K19000
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 35:Polymers, organic materials, and related fields
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Seki Takahiro 名古屋大学, 工学研究科, 名誉教授 (40163084)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-07-09 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 自由界面 / 光電子移動RAFT重合 / 液晶

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Attaching the polymer chain to the substrate surface is frequently performed in the surface-initiated process from the substrate. Such surface-initiated graft polymerization can form dense brush chains, which leads to characteristic conformation and alignment nature. This approach is usually carried out from the surface of a solid substrate.
In the present research, a new polymerization process that performs the reaction starting from the free surface (on the air side of the monomer film) is proposed, aiming at proposing a platform for new polymer synthesis. We conducted research to verify this proposal using a reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer(RAFT) polymerization system incorporating a photoelectron transfer agent of an iridium complex whose polymerization is not easily inhibited even in the presence of oxygen.

Free Research Field

高分子化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

液晶分子の表面光配向制御は、基板表面の光反応を用いるのが一般的であるが、最近申請者は、側鎖型液晶高分子の薄膜にて、空気側（自由界面）から光配向操作が可能であ
ることを見出した。これまでは、予め液晶高分子を合成しておき製膜し、光配向に行う操作である。本課題は、一歩段階を進め、モノマー膜を作製しておき、空気側から、自由界面グラフト重合とも呼べる高分子合成の新たなプラットフォームを構築できるのではないかとの着想の研究である。高分子薄膜での重合プロセスにおける新たな手法提案となるとともに、高分子表面加工法が開発される可能性もある。