Thermoresponsive surface was prepared from commercial poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. The direct initiation of the secondary fluorinated site of PVDF facilitated grafting of the N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) monomer. The PVDF surfaces grafted with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) [P(NIPAAm)] were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Kinetics study revealed that the P(NIPAAm) chain growth from the PVDF surface was consistent with a "controlled" process. The temperature-dependent swelling behavior of the surfaces in aqueous solution was studied by atomic force microscope. At 37 degrees C [above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST, about 32 degrees C) of NIPAAm], the seeded cells adhered and spread on the NIPAAm grafted PVDF surface. Below the LCST, the cells detached from the P(NIPAAm)-grafted PVDF surface spontaneously. The thermoresponsive surfaces are potentially useful as stimuli-responsive adhesion modifiers in the biomedical fields. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 115: 976-980, 2010