Polymer Surface Chemistry: Structure and Reactivity of Surface Segments and Oligomeric Chain Distributions from Model Systems to Novel Polymer Materials

Abstract CHE-0616916 Gardella/SUNY-Buffalo With the support of the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, Professor Gardella and his coworkers at SUNY-Buffalo are developing methods for the analysis of polymer surfaces. This work combines secondary ion mass spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and vibrational spectroscopy using electrons and photons, to characterize the structure and composition of polymer surfaces. This multi-technique approach is used to examine polymer segment distribution at the surface, to examine the mechanism of biodegradation of polymers, and to examine polymer tertiary structure at the surface. Extensive outreach to the local community, and the development of science education materials is an important aspect of this work. Understanding the structure, composition, and chemistry of the surface of "soft" polymer materials is a challenging analytical problem. Professor Gardella and his coworkers at SUNY-Buffalo are attacking this challenge using a combination of surface sensitive spectroscopies. Methodologies developed in this work have broad industrial applicability for the characterization of polymer surfaces. Broad based educational outreach to the Buffalo community is being carried out in the context of this research.