A polymer brush consists of end-tethered (grafted, anchored) polymer chains stretched away from a substrate or an interface [1-3]. The advantage of polymer brushes over other surface modi•cation methods (e.g., self-assembled monolayers (SAMs)) is their mechanical and chemical robustness, coupled with a high degree of synthetic ±exibility toward the introduction of a variety of functional groups [4,5]. The crucial difference between SAMs and polymer brushes is the size of the

5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 175 5.2 Synthesis of Polymer Brushes ...................................................................... 176

5.2.1 Substrates .......................................................................................... 176 5.2.1.1 Planar Surfaces and Patterned Polymer Brushes ............... 176 5.2.1.2 Nanoparticles/Wires/Capsules ........................................... 178

5.2.2 Preparation Method .......................................................................... 178 5.2.3 Micro-and Nanopatterned Polymer Brushes ................................... 183 5.2.4 Multicomponent Polymer Brushes ................................................... 184

5.3 Properties of Polymer Brushes ..................................................................... 185 5.4 Applications .................................................................................................. 188

5.4.1 Electrochemical Responsive Brushes ............................................... 188 5.4.2 Antifouling........................................................................................ 192 5.4.3 Biocompatible Surfaces .................................................................... 195 5.4.4 Separation ......................................................................................... 198 5.4.5 Preparation of Capsules .................................................................... 199 5.4.6 Other Applications ............................................................................200