It is well-known that polymer brushes can degraft in aqueous liquids. Here we show that brushes can deteriorate in humid air too. We observe that the detachment rate of the brushes increases with increasing relative humidity and hydrophilicity of the brushes. We relate this to the increase in water absorption as these parameters are increased. Our results imply that protective measures that are at present being developed for applications of brushes in liquids will also be key in enabling the long-term storage and utilization of hydrophilic brushes in air.

中文翻译：

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聚合物刷暴露在潮湿空气中的去污

众所周知，聚合物刷可以在水性液体中脱枝。在这里我们表明，刷子在潮湿的空气中也会变质。我们观察到，刷子的脱离率随着相对湿度和刷子亲水性的增加而增加。当这些参数增加时，我们将其与吸水率的增加联系起来。我们的结果表明，目前正在开发的用于液体中刷子应用的保护措施也将是实现亲水刷子在空气中长期储存和使用的关键。