Nanocomposite 1:2 demultiplexer based on surface-grafted poly(methacrylic acid) brushes with in situ-fabricated CdS particles

Abstract

A nanocomposite-based 1:2 demultiplexer is presented, leveraging surface-grafted poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) brushes embedded with in situ-fabricated cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles. The presented nanocomposite design synergizes electronic properties of semiconducting CdS with the unique polymer brushes architecture, enabling precise photo-induced signal routing. The PMAA brushes were synthesized via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET-ATRP), followed by the in-situ generation of CdS nanoparticles through a controlled chemical precipitation method, resulting hybrid structure with uniform CdS nanoparticle distribution. Characterization techniques, including atomic force microscopy (AFM), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), electron microscopy (SEM) and photoelectrochemical analysis, confirm the successful integration and functional behavior of the obtained PMAA-CdS system and using it for building of 1:2 demultiplexer. Our nanodevice enables the conversion of optical signals into electrical signals, so it can be successfully used to process information at the molecular level.