Polymer coatings of nanoporous materials have attracted increasing attention for controlled mass transport applications. However, most of the available techniques are based on surface-initiated polymerization that requires additional pre-treatments for surface activation. Here we report a facile one-step method to modify the pore surface of an anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane using universal adhesion property of mussel-inspired polymer. PNIPAAm (12 kDa) is synthesized via RAFT polymerization, followed by the conjugation of catechol, a mussel-derived adhesive molecule, to one chain end of the synthesized PNIPAAm. The catechol-conjugated PNIPAAm is successfully grafted to the surface of nanopores by polymer solution infiltration through a membrane. The temperature-controlled conformational transition of the grafted PNIPAAm chain is correlated to the variations of contact angle and topography of the membrane.
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