Systematically studying slippery surfaces

Polymer brushes are polymers grown on surfaces, and are attractive for use in lubrication and anti-fouling applications. Researchers varied the length of the chain separating negatively and positively charged functional groups in polymer brushes to investigate how chain length affected the interaction of the polymer brushes with water. They found that the chain length influenced the ionic strength sensitivity for the hydration of the polymer brushes in water but not their water uptake or hydration structure.