Remote radiofrequency triggering of topography changes in a surface micropatterned PANI@PNIPAM nanocomposite

MULKO, LUCINDA E.; CUELLO, EMMA A.; BARBERO, CESAR A.; PINO, GUSTAVO A.; MOLINA, MARÍA; ROSSA, MAXIMILIANO

APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2020 vol. 509

0169-4332

he presence of polyaniline (PANI) conducting polymer loaded in thick films of a transparent and thermosensitivepoly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel network allowed for absorption of UV light and modificationof dry (PANI@PNIPAM) nanocomposites by direct laser interference patterning (DLIP) at 355 nm. Thisresulted in a surface morphology of a nano-foam superimposed on a dominant line/groove pattern. The observationsare rationalized based on currently accepted mechanisms for laser-induced polymer surface modification.Furthermore, the PANI in the nanocomposite films absorbs radiofrequency (RF) radiation remotely inducingthe volume phase transition of PNIPAM. The swelled, low-roughness state for PANI@PNIPAM collapsed into anon-swelled and patterned film. The procedure provided the optimum RF dose range for preserving the surfacetopography of the films. The evidence suggests that the DLIP processing of PANI@PNIPAM films preserve the