From Synthesis to Dynamics: Study of polymer grafted nanorods using Light Scattering

This work explores the synthesis and characterization of polymer-grafted gold nanorods, with a focus on understanding the structure and dynamics of the grafted polymer layers. Utilizing depolarized dynamic light scattering (DDLS), we investigate the rotational and translational diffusion of polymer-grafted Au nanorods that were synthesized using a grafting-to approach with thiol-terminated polymers. Complementary to this, a grafting-from method was developed to facilitate in-situ polymer growth from the surface of Au nanorods to obtain high grafting densities of low dispersity polymers. This newly developed synthetic approach aims to improve the control over grafting density by using functionalized chain transfer agents (CTAs) with anchoring moieties on the surface of gold nanorods for surface-initiated RAFT polymerizations. We compare the properties of Au nanorods prepared using the grafting-from approach with those of nanorods prepared using the more traditional grafting-to approach.