Molecular Structure of Omniphobic, Surface-Grafted Polydimethylsiloxane Chains.

ABSTRACT: The unique surface properties of grafted polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chains, particularly their omniphobicity and low friction, are influenced by molecular structure and tethering density. Despite molecularly smoothness and homogeneity, these surfaces exhibit significant variability in wettability and contact angle hysteresis (CAH). This work uncovers the molecular structure of grafted PDMS chains. Grafted PDMS chains synthesized using a difunctional chlorosilane initiator, which exhibits CAH <2° on silicon wafers, adopt a brush-to-mushroom conformation with a molecular weight ≈7,800 g mol^-1, a grafting density of 0.22 ± 0.4 chains nm^-2, and a thickness of ≈3 nm. Each PDMS chain terminates with a silanol group, and ≈96% of substrate silanols remain unreacted. The pres

SUBMITTER: Khatir B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11855256 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature