Kinetic Study of Degrafting Poly(methyl methacrylate) Brushes from Flat Substrates by Tetrabutylammonium Fluoride

Polymer degrafting is a process in which surface-attached polymer brushes are removed from the substrate by breaking a chemical bond in proximity to the substrate. This paper provides insight into the kinetics of degrafting poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) brushes using tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) and demonstrates how the process can be modeled using a series of degrafting reactions. The trichlorosilane-based polymerization initiator utilized here to synthesize PMMA grafts by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization anchors to the silica substrate by up to three potential attachment points. During the degrafting sequence this anchoring reduces to two and one chemical bond and finally results in complete liberation of the PMMA macromolecule from the substrate. We investigate the effect of TBAF concentration, the initial grafting density of PMMA grafts on the substrate, and TBAF exposure time on degrafting of PMMA by monitoring the instantaneous areal grafting density of PMMA on the substrate.