We report here a chemical treatment which permits the direct modification of the surface properties of a polymer, but without changing its bulk properties. The method relies upon the insertion of diarylcarbenes into a variety of material types, leading to irreversible carbon-carbon bond formation; depending on the substituents on the carbene, it is possible to incorporate an array of chemical function, including hydrocarbon and alkoxyether chains, and carboxylic acid, sulfonic acid, diazo, urea and phosphonate residues. It is versatile and simple to execute, and capable of immediate adaptation to dip or spray processes. We have demonstrated that it can be used for the manipulation of the surface chromophoric, biocidal, biocompatibility, hydrophobicity/philicity, oleophobicity/philicity and adhesive characteristics of polymers, for a very broad range of substrate types, in particular low surface energy organic polymers such as polypropylene, polyimide and polyester, as well as other materials such as silica, glass and diamond. This method offers the opportunity for tailoring the surface properties of diverse polymers for a wide variety of applications, including electronics, medical devices, healthcare and security.
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