Polymeric films self-standing

Desai SM, Solanky SS, Mandale AB, Rathore K, Singh RP. Controlled grafting of N-iso-propylacrylamide brushes onto self-standing isotactic polypropylene thin films surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. Polymer 2003 44(25) 7645—9. 

The self-assembling character of bilayer membranes is demonstrated by the formation of free-standing cast films from aqueous dispersions of synthetic bilayer membranes. The tendencies for association are sufficiently strong to allow the addition of guest molecules (nanoparticles, proteins, and various small molecules) to these films where the connective forces are secondary in nature and not primary. Synthetic polymer chemists have made use of these self-assembling tendencies to synthesize monolayer films. In particular, a monomer that contains both reactive groups and hydrophobic and hydrophilic areas is cast onto an appropriate template that self-assembles the monomer, holding it for subsequent polymerization. Thus, a bilayer structure is formed by... 

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