Journal
NANO LETTERS
Volume 22, Issue 14, Pages 5891-5897Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c01830
Keywords
bottlebrush polymer; super-resolution microscopy; spin-coating; orientation
Categories
Funding
- American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund
- National Science Foundation [DMR-1945249]
- State of Illinois
- International Institute for Nanotechnology
- Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental Resource [NSF ECCS-2025633]
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The orientation of chains within polymeric materials is important for their properties, and single-molecule localization microscopy is used to visualize chain directions in spin-coated polymer films. The study reveals a strong relationship between shear force and chain orientation, as well as the effects of chain length and solvent evaporation rate.
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.
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