Extracting a Single Polyethylene Oxide Chain from a Single Crystal by a Combination of Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging and Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy: Toward the Investigation of Molecular Interactions in Their Condensed States

A thiol-labeled single polyethylene oxide chain has been pulled out of its single crystal and the corresponding extraction force obtained quantitatively by a good combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging and AFM-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS). Our study extends the AFM-based SMFS to the investigation of polymer interactions in their condensed states (e.g., in polymer single crystals).