Unlocking the Structure and Dynamics of Thin Polymeric Films
Abstract
A dominating feature of very thin films of polymeric substances is that their properties depend to a large extent on the interaction of the various components with interfaces. In addition polymers even in their purest form are heterogeneous; they contain chain ends with enhanced librational freedom, branched structures, and in the case of copolymers, monomers of differing surface energy likely distributed inhomogeneously along the chain. Finally polymers have a disperse molar mass distribution, so that even samples of the narrowest molar mass dispersity possess a distribution of chain lengths. These various components of even the simplest polymer, let alone a complex commercial polymer, will be distributed within the thin polymer film as a function of the free energy of the interfaces and the chemistry and mobility of the respective species. Understanding such processes is of immense theoretical and technological interest; with recent advances in polymerisation, characterisation and modelling techniques, questions of how polymer structure affects the spatial arrangement of chains and their properties can be addressed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 23, 2016
- Source ID
- FA23861514038
Entities
People
- Andrew K Whittaker
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Queensland