Competitive adsorption of polymers on metal nanoparticles

We investigate the effect of system properties and adsorption sequence on competitive adsorption of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) on narrowly polydispersed cobalt (Co) nanoparticles (D ∼ 27 nm). The adsorbed layer composition is studied using thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). We find that adsorbed layers of PS are completely displaced by PMMA when the solvent is a common good solvent. An adsorbed layer of only PMMA is also obtained through competitive adsorption from a common good solvent. However, in a selective solvent that is poor for PS, sequential adsorption leads to the formation of mixed layers.