Surface modification of poly(2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene) (MEH-PPV) by confined photo-catalytic oxidation

Ying-Chieh Yen; Chih-Chia Cheng; Yeh-Sheng Wang; Yu-Lin Chu; Chu-Hua Lu; Wantai Yang; Feng-Chih Chang

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2011.11.040

Surface modification of poly(2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene) (MEH-PPV) by confined photo-catalytic oxidation

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2012 Feb 15;368(1):663-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2011.11.040. Epub 2011 Dec 7.

Authors

Ying-Chieh Yen¹, Chih-Chia Cheng, Yeh-Sheng Wang, Yu-Lin Chu, Chu-Hua Lu, Wantai Yang, Feng-Chih Chang

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Applied Chemistry, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.

PMID: 22196349
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2011.11.040

Abstract

In this study, the surface of π-conjugated polymer, poly(2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene) (MEH-PPV), was successfully modified with the sulfate anion (SO(4-)) groups by the confined photo-catalytic oxidation (CPO). After the surface modification, the water contact angle of MEH-PPV is changed from 95.5° to 82.1° without influence on its optical properties (based on the UV and PL spectra), and the water droplet can be absorbed on the modified MEH-PPV surface without sliding even at substrate tilt angles of 90° and 180°. The CPO on the MEH-PPV surface is able to further expand the use of MEH-PPV for applications. In addition, the water transport test indicates that the modified MEH-PPV can be a candidate for transporting water droplet.