Combinatorial study of nanoparticle dispersion in surface-grafted macromolecular gradients

Surface-tethered assemblies of polymers with gradually varying molecular weight (MW) and/or grafting density are utilized to control the dispersion of nanosized particles. Using several case studies we show that these gradient polymer specimens represent ideal systems for combinatorial exploration of the parameters that control the distribution of the particles in surface-grafted layers. We demonstrate that the particle distribution is governed by the interplay between the particle size and the grafting density and molecular weight of the polymer brush.