Surface Functionalization of Metals with Conducting Polymers via Surface-initiated Polymerization

Abstract

The focus of this work is on providing alternative methods to covalently immobilize functional conducting polymer coatings via surface-initiated polymerization on metal surfaces for anti-biocorrosion and biosensor applications. First of all, a electroactive bilayer polymer coating, (poly(glycidyl methacrylate)¿ coupled-polyaniline [P(GMA)-c-PANI] on mild steel surface was constructed via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), followed by thermal curing and N-alkylation reactions for combating biocorrosion in simulated seawater. Next, a well-structured hybrid Cu surface functionalized by polybithiophene-silver nanoparticles (PBT-Ag NPs) was prepared via surface-initiated oxidative graft polymerization and chemical affinity of sulfur for silver, for inhibiting sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB)-induced biocorrosion in anaerobic seawater. Finally, an amperometric glucose biosensor with high sensitivity using PANI and chitosan coupled carbon nanotubes (CS-CNTs) as the signal amplifiers and glucose oxidase (GOD) as the glucose detector was fabricated on a gold electrode via surface-initiated oxidative graft polymerization and bifunctional linkers.