Polymer Brush Films with Varied Grafting and Cross-Linking Density via SI-ATRP : Analysis of the Mechanical Properties by AFM

In her research, Inga Lilge focuses on a systematic study of poly(acrylamide) (PAAm) brushes prepared by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). In addition to the analysis of the time dependence of the polymer brush growth, the conformation of the polymer brushes is varied by grafting or cross-linking density. The results have practical implications for the study of cellular interactions on PAAm brushes since cell-substrate interactions are known to influence various cell characteristics, such as migration and adhesion.