Single Polymer Chain Elongation by Atomic Force Microscopy.

Abstract

We have investigated the elastic deformation of single polystyrene-b-poly-2-vinyl-pyridine chains from spun cast films by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). A non-linear elastic response is shown to be present hundreds of nanometers above the bulk surface. The length of the elastic response monotonically increases with molecular weight of the polymer. These non-linear elastic responses are fit to worm like chain (WLC) and freely joined chain (FJC) models giving persistence and Kuhn lengths of approximately 5A. The entropic models reveal that the polymer chains are stretched to 80-90% of their contour length before the attachment to the tip is ruptured.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA349098

Entities

People

  • Boris B. Akhremitchev
  • Gilbert C. Walker
  • Jason E. Bemis

Organizations

  • University of Pittsburgh

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Adhesion
  • Attachment
  • Block Copolymers
  • Chemistry
  • Copolymers
  • Data Analysis
  • Dielectric Polymers
  • Elongation
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Microscopy
  • Molecular Weight
  • Polymers
  • Polystyrenes
  • Pyridines
  • Surface Tension

Readers

  • Mechanical Engineering/Mechanics of Materials.
  • Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
  • Nanoscale Plasmonic Nanotechnology