| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5362113 | Applied Surface Science | 2012 | 8 Pages |
To improve the water resistance of thermoplastic poly(vinyl alcohol)/saponite nanocomposites (TPVA), a simple two-step method was developed for the covalent immobilization of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiators on the TPVA surfaces enhanced by air dielectric barrier discharges (DBD) plasma treatment, and hydrophobic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) brushes were then grafted onto the surface of TPVA via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The chemical composition, morphology and hydrophobicity of the modified TPVA surfaces were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The water resistance of the surface-functionalized PMMA was evaluated by the contact angle and water adsorption method. It was shown that air DBD plasma treatment activated the TPVA surface and accelerated the immobilization of ATRP initiator on the TPVA surface. Compared with TPVA control, TPVA modified by SI-ATRP can be grafted well-defined and covalently tethered network PMMA brushes onto the surface and the hydrophobicity of TPVA were significantly enhanced.
Graphical abstractDownload full-size imageHighlights⺠Thermoplastic PVA/saponite nanocomposites were prepared by melting processing. ⺠Covalent immobilization of ATRP initiators on the TPVA surfaces was enhanced by air DBD plasma treatment. ⺠The hydrophobic network PMMA brushes were grafted onto the TPVA surfaces via SI-ATRP. ⺠The water resistance of TPVA substrate after SI-ATRP was significantly enhanced.
