pH Responsive Polymeric Brush Nanostructures: Preparation and Characterization by Scanning Probe Oxidation and Surface Initiated Polymerization.

pH-responsive PHEMA-based polymeric nanostructures were grown in a controlled manner by ATRP-based surface-initiated polymerization. Initiator nanopatterns were obtained on silicon wafers covered with OTS resists made by AFM scanning probe oxidation lithography. AFM images confirmed isolated grafting of stimuli-responsive hedge and dot brush structures exhibiting dimensions corresponding to a few tens of chains.