Fluorocarbon mediated polymer blends and methods for making thereof
AssigneeUniversity of Southern California
InventorsThieo Hogen-Esch, Jingguo Shen
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Abstract
The present invention discloses a method for making blended polymers by utilizing fluorophilic inter-polymer associative interactions between perfluorocarbon functional groups attached on the constituent polymers. The method of the present invention is capable of forming blended polymers from otherwise incompatible polymers. Also disclosed are blended polymers obtained by the method thereof. Methods and devices utilizing novel blended polymer of the present invention including chromatography, catalysis, photonic and sensor applications are also provided.
Claims23
A method for blending two or more constituent polymers to form a polymer blend, comprising:
- (1) attaching one or more fluorocarbon (RF) functional groups to each of the constituent polymers to form RF functionalized polymers;
- and
- (2) blending the RF functionalized polymers to form a blended polymer.
A fluorocarbon mediated polymer blend, comprising:
- at least two constituent polymers each functionalized with at least one fluorocarbon (RF) functionality,
- wherein at least one constituent polymer is incompatible with at least one other constituent polymer before being functionalized with RF and wherein the constituent polymers are held together in the polymer blend via fluorophilic interactions between the added RF functionalities.
A chemical and/or biochemical sensor for detecting an analyte having a selected fluorocarbon (RF) functionality, comprising:
- a polymer functionalized with fluorocarbon (RF) functionalities capable of interacting with the selected RF functionality through fluorophilic interaction;
- and
- a first chromophore disposed on the polymer or attached to the RF functionalities,
- wherein the analyte includes a second chromophore capable of acting as an energy acceptor/donor to the first chromophore in a fluorescence resonance energy transfer FRET) interaction, and
- wherein detection of the analyte is reported when application of a radiative energy at an excitation wavelength corresponding to the excitation wavelength of the donor chromophore results in a FRET event.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.