Conjugated Polymers with Pendant Iniferter Units: Versatile Materials for Grafting

A novel compound N-(N',N'-diethyldithiocarbamoylethylamidoethyl)aniline (NDDEAEA) was synthesized and fully characterized. Conjugated poly(NDDEAEA), consisting of N-substituted polyaniline (PANI) backbones with dithiocarbamate ester pendant groups (which can act as iniferters), was synthesized by both chemical and electrochemical polymerization. UV-initiated living polymerization was utilized to graft styrene, methacrylic acid (MAA), lauryl methacrylate, and acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPSA) onto the conjugated macroiniferter which had previously been deposited on various surfaces (glass, polypropylene, polystyrene, and gold electrodes). The resultant polymeric surfaces were characterized by static contact angle measurements, XPS, SEM, and AFM. This versatile new material can be used for creating materials with integrated functionalities (e.g., conductivity, molecular recognition, catalysis and controlled transport properties, etc.) for application in sensors and microfluidic devices and for the construction of patterned surfaces.