Modulation of Polymer Brush Properties by Tuning Dispersity

Modulating the structural parameters of polymer brushes represents a versatile approach for adjusting the interfacial and physicochemical properties of macroscopic and nanoscopic materials. In addition to molar mass and grafting density (σ), dispersity (Ð) is emerging as an alternative means to tune interfacial characteristics, especially when polymer brushes are applied to formulate composite materials, or when these are grown from substrates that are intended to encounter biological media. Here it is highlighted how a variation of Ð can be exploited to generate polymer interfaces with strikingly different properties while retaining their chemical composition. In addition, it is outlined how tuning of Ð of a polymer brush is enabled by recent advances in polymer chemistry, for example, reversible deactivation radical polymerizations (RDRPs), and/or by exploiting alternative expedients during the grafting process.