Abstract
The orientation of chains within polymeric materials influences their electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. While many techniques can infer the orientation distribution of a bulk ensemble, it is challenging to determine this information at the single-chain level, particularly in an environment of otherwise identical polymers. Here, we use single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) to visualize the directions of chains within spin-coated polymer films. We find a strong relationship between shear force and the degree and direction of orientation, and additionally, we reveal the effects of chain length and solvent evaporation rate. This work utilizes single-chain resolution to observe the important, though often overlooked, property of chain orientation in the common fabrication process of spin-coating.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5891-5897 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Nano letters |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 14 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 27 2022 |
Funding
The authors acknowledge Profs. Wesley Burghardt, Julia Kalow, and John Torkelson for access to equipment and useful discussions. We also acknowledge funding from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund and the National Science Foundation (DMR-1945249) for support of this work. This work made use of the Integrated Molecular Structure Education and Research Center (IMSERC) facility at Northwestern University, which has received support from the Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental Resource (NSF ECCS-2025633), the State of Illinois, and the International Institute for Nanotechnology.
Keywords
- bottlebrush polymer
- orientation
- spin-coating
- super-resolution microscopy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Bioengineering
- General Chemistry
- General Materials Science