Graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) onto Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabrics with the aid of benzoyl peroxide was carried out. The effect of polymerization parameters on the graft yield was studied. Percent grafting was enhanced significantly by increasing benzoyl peroxide (BP) concentrations up to 3.84 g/lit and then decreased upon further increase in initiator concentration. Pr...

Using combinatorial methods, we synthesized a series of new vinyl amide monomers and graft-polymerized them to light-sensitive poly(ether sulfone) (PES) porous films for protein resistance. To increase the discovery rate and statistical confidence, we developed high throughput surface modification methods (HTP) that allow synthesis, screening and selection of desirable monomers from a large lib...

Over 359 million tons of plastics were produced worldwide in 2018, with significant growth expected the near future, resulting global challenge end-of-life management. The recent identification enzymes that degrade previously considered non-biodegradable opens up opportunities to steer plastic recycling industry into realm biotechnology. Here, sequential conversion post-consumer polyethylene te...

Electronically conductive and electrochemically active 3D-scaffolds based on electrospun poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) nano-fibers are reported. Vapour phase polymerization was employed to achieve an uniform and conformal coating of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophone) doped with tosylate (PEDOT:tosylate) on the nano-fibers. The PEDOT coatings had a large impact on the wettability, turning the...

The graft polymerization of acrylic acid has been carried out on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) monofilament to introduce carboxylic acid groups. The filament is treated with oxygen plasma for the introduction of peroxides and subsequently grafted with acrylic acid. The influence of monomer concentration, plasma exposure time and reaction temperature on the degree of grafting has been inves...

Radiation induced grafting of acrylic acid (AA) and binary mixture of acrylic acid/N-vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP) has been carried out on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabric. The grafted fabrics are immobilized with collagen via carbodiimide coupling to make the fabric bioreceptive and biocompatible for cell seeding and grafts. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy observati...

A novel high-strength nano-adhesive is demonstrated for fabricating nano- and microfluidic devices. While the traditional plasma sealing methods are specific for sealing glass to poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), the new method is compatible with a wide variety of polymeric and inorganic materials, including flexible substrates. Additionally, the traditional method requires that sealing occur with...

Pellethane 2363 80A films and tubings were chemically modified and the effect of these modifications on platelet deposition was studied. Grafting of high molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) and graft polymerization of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) 400 methacrylate resulted in surfaces with a good water wettability. The increased hydrophilicity of these modified surfaces could be demonstrated ...

Pluronic poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) block copolymers are grafted with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) by free radical polymerization of vinyl pyrrolidone with simultaneous chain transfer to the Pluronic in dioxane. This modified polymer has both thermal responsiveness and remarkable capacity to interact with a wide variety of hydrophilic and hydrop...