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

L. E. MULKO; E. A. CUELLO; C. A. BARBERO; G. A. PINO; M. MOLINA; M. ROSSA

APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2020 vol. 509 p. 1453701 - 1453701

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 andmodification of dry (PANI@PNIPAM) nanocomposites by direct laser interference patterning (DLIP) at 355 nm.This resulted in a surface morphology of a nano-foam superimposed on a dominant line/groove pattern. Theobservations are rationalized based on currently accepted mechanisms for laser-induced polymer surfacemodification. Furthermore, the PANI in the nanocomposite films absorbs radiofrequency (RF) radiation remotelyinducing the volume phase transition of PNIPAM. The swelled, low-roughness state for PANI@PNIPAM collapsedinto a non-swelled and patterned film. The procedure provided the optimum RF dose range for preserving the surface topography of the films. The evidence suggests that the DLIP processing of PANI@PNIPAM films preservethe thermosensitivity of the original PNIPAM material