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A Facile Route to Bio‐Inspired Supramolecular Oligo(Ethylene Glycol) Catecholates
Author(s) -
Shan Alice,
Manolakis Ioannis
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
macromolecular chemistry and physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.57
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1521-3935
pISSN - 1022-1352
DOI - 10.1002/macp.201800412
Subject(s) - ethylene glycol , contact angle , polymer chemistry , aqueous solution , chemical engineering , materials science , coating , covalent bond , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , supramolecular chemistry , rheology , chemistry , organic chemistry , nanotechnology , molecule , composite material , engineering
A particularly facile synthetic route to mussel‐inspired oligo(ethylene glycol) catecholates is described, yielding high purity materials with minimal purification. The oligocatecholates show remarkable thermal and rheological properties for their actual chain length, suggesting the operation of non‐covalent interactions between their l ‐DOPA‐bearing chain ends. This end‐group effect is more pronounced in the shorter oligomers ( M n of ethylene glycol chain of 200 and 400 Da), where the end‐group density is higher. Various surfaces (glass, stainless steel) are modified with the oligocatecholates, using a dip‐coating approach from dilute aqueous solutions. Water contact angle measurements and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm the presence of a hydrophilic surface coating layer. The potential of these materials for application as antifouling coatings and viscosity modifiers is highlighted.