Patent ID: 8211456

Claim:
A method of preparing a polymer brush on a material surface comprising the steps of: a) contacting an optionally (and preferably) activated and optionally (and preferably) functionalized material surface with: i) a polymeric material having a polymeric backbone with pendant reactive moieties wherein said polymeric material reacts with said activated and optionally functionalized material surface to form on said surface a pre-coat layer of chemisorbed polymeric material having pendant reactive moieties for the covalent bonding of terminally-functionalized polymer chains to said pre-coat layer, or ii) polymerizable monomers under conditions wherein said monomers form a polymeric material having a polymeric backbone with pendant reactive moieties wherein said polymeric material reacts with said activated and optionally functionalized material surface to form on said surface a pre-coat layer of chemisorbed polymeric material having pendant reactive moieties for the covalent bonding of terminally-functionalized polymer chains to said pre-coat layer; (b) optionally removing unreacted polymeric or monomeric material; (c) contacting the resultant pre-coat layer with terminally-functionalized polymer chains having at least one terminal functional group, wherein said terminally-functionalized polymer chains are in the form of a melt when contacted with said pre-coat layer, and wherein said at least one terminal functional group reacts with at least one pendant reactive moiety to provide for tethered polymer chains covalently bonded to said pre-coat layer of polymeric material, and optionally removing unreacted polymer chains.