Light-driven wettability changes on a photoresponsive electrospun mat.

Chen, Menglin; Besenbacher, Flemming · ACS Nano · 2011

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Novel nanofibers of biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) modified with light-responsive azobenzene were prepared by electrospinning upon a facile one-pot reaction. The surface chemistry of the nanofibers was probed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Both XPS and ToF-SIMS spectra proved the successful conjugation of azobenzene with PCL. ToF-SIMS not only enabled chemical mapping but also provided morphology information, supplementary to scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The large, reversible, and light-responsive wettability changes of the functional fibrous surfaces were further demonstrated using UV-vis spectroscopy and contact angle (CA) measurements.

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