Interpenetrating polymer network for nanostructured coating

• Date: April 2023

• Host laboratory: Université de Vienne (Autriche) - Groupe of Ellen Backus

• People to contact:

  • Ellen Backus (ellen.backus@univie.ac.at)

Synthesizing thin films on solid substrates with predictable and adjustable properties is a very challenging task. One way to prepare thin films of polymers is by depositing them on an aqueous subphase at a well-defined density and structure and subsequently transfer them to a solid material. To provide improved and versatile properties to the coating often mixtures of two polymers are used.
The aim of the current proposal is to study the behavior of mixtures of polymers as a function of the hydrophobicity of the polymers and the packing density on the water surface. We will study the molecular organization with sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy providing us with a vibrational spectrum of just the one molecular layer thick surface. Subsequently, we will cross-link the polymers with the aim to synthesize two dimensional interpenetrating networks. In the final step, the so obtained two dimensional networks will be transferred to a solid substrate. As such, we hope to be able to design nanocoatings with designed properties.
The project is a collaboration with the group of Sophie Cantin in France. Several onemonth visits to France are foreseen in the project.

We are looking for a chemist with some spectroscopy experience.