Surface modifying agents, modified materials and methods

A polymer comprising polymerized aryl sulfonyl azide or a copolymer thereof.

A surface modifying agent comprising a first portion that comprises a sulfonyl azide and a second portion that comprises a chemical component capable of imparting a property to a surface of a substrate,

• wherein the property is selected from the group consisting of hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity, oleophobicity, oleophilicity, fluorescence, increased or decreased surface energy, increased anti-fouling, and increased adhesion between the substrate and another material;
• and
• wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of a polymer, a textile substrate, a fiber, a polyolefin material, a polypropylene material, a polyethylene material, a porous polymer substrate, a nonporous polymer substrate, a microporous polymer substrate, a porous hollow fiber, a nonporous hollow fiber, a porous battery separator or membrane, a microporous polymer membrane, a film, a chemically modified polymer substrate, a polymer surface layer, a composite, and combinations thereof.

A surface modifying agent comprising a carbene generator and/or a nitrene generator.

A modified substrate comprising a surface modifying agent applied to the substrate, wherein the agent comprises a first portion comprising a sulfonyl azide and a second portion comprising a chemical component capable of imparting a property to a surface of the substrate, wherein at least one azide of the first portion has been reacted with a carbon atom of the substrate to form a sulfonamide linking group.

Modified polymer, surface modified polymer, modified functionalized polymers, functional polymers, or chemically modified substrates including modified functionalized polymers, wherein the modified polymer is a chemically modified polymer or textile substrate, and wherein the modified polymer substrate is at least one of a polymer substrate, a textile substrate, a fiber, a polyolefin material, a polypropylene material, a polyethylene material, a porous polymer substrate, a nonporous polymer substrate, a porous hollow fiber, a nonporous hollow fiber, a porous battery separator or membrane, a film, a chemically modified polymer substrate a polymer surface layer, a composite, a combination thereof, or the like.