Control of surface structure and properties by side chain effects of polymers

Polymer surfaces and interfaces have received much attention in industrial fields because of their functional properties, including appearance, surface protection, reflectivity, anti-fouling, water-repellency, anti-fogging, anti-icing, adhesion, and gas permeability/barrier characteristics. In addition, because polymer surfaces have notably different properties and dynamic behaviors from bulk materials, many academic researchers have been interested in and contributed to the research on polymer surfaces and interfaces in recent decades. The properties and structure at the polymer surface and interface strongly depend on the chemical structure, conformation, and dynamics of the polymer chains. In this review, the impacts of the structure and dynamics of designed polymer side chains on the surface and interface properties and their mechanism are described. In particular, the control of the molecular conformation and dynamics leads to their characteristic surface and interface properties.