Dynamic structure and functionalization of polymer interfaces

The segmental mobility of polymers at an interface in contact with air, a liquid or a solid is considerably different from that in the internal bulk phase. This review summarizes recent studies offering a concept that the polymer interface is a useful medium for the functionalization of solid polymer materials. Time- and space-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy using evanescent wave excitation revealed that the segmental mobility at the surface and the solid interface had a strong impact on the fluorescence properties of a dye well dispersed in a polymer film when the film thickness decreased. Furthermore, using a chiral polymer designed from the concept of a dynamic interface, enantioselective wetting was successfully demonstrated. The contact angle of chiral liquids on the film varied depending on the chirality of the liquid. This wetting resulted from the enantioselective surface reorganization involving local conformational changes of the polymer chains at the liquid interface, as confirmed using sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy.