A smart surface with switchable wettability by an ionic liquid

Nanoscale. 2017 May 11;9(18):5822-5827. doi: 10.1039/c7nr00304h.

Abstract

Smart control of surface wettability by ionic liquids (ILs) is significant for designing IL-related intelligent materials and devices. Herein, we present mixed molecular brushes comprised of poly(phenylethyl methacrylate) and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrimethoxysilane (PPhEtMA-co-PFDMS) grafted surfaces that are capable of dynamically regulating 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIm][NTf2]) wettability. 1H NMR and quartz crystal microbalance characterization demonstrate that the wettability changes result from a temperature-dominated cation-π interaction between [EMIm][NTf2] and PPhEtMA-co-PFDMS brushes.