Surface Functionalization

At LSST, we have made considerable use of a range of surface-functionalization approaches. These have ranged from thiols, which attach readily to gold and silver, and which we have also used to form surface-chemical gradients, through phosphates, which actively adsorb on a number of metal oxides, to a recent close examination of the age-old problem of surface functionalization by silanes. Moreover, we also functionalize surfaces by means of both grafting-from and grafting-to polymer-brush attachment, the latter being frequently achieved via the use of polyelectrolyte backbones to which the brush-forming polymer chains are grafted.

Surface functionalization lies at the heart of most of our activities, and our philosophy can be summarized as imparting the ideal surface chemistry (for a particular application) to the surface of the bulk material that provides the ideal bulk properties. In this way, we complement the activities of many other groups in the Department, who focus chiefly on bulk properties.