Functional polymers: scanning force microscopy insights

In Situ Real-Time Atomic Force Microscopy Observation of the Surface Mobility on Each Domain of a Polystyrene-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) Film at High Temperatures

The surface chain movements within the microdomains of a polystyrene-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) and corresponding homopolymer films were observed via in situ real-time atomic force microscopy (AFM) at high temperatures and analyzed quantitatively using particle image velocimetry (PIV). At low temperatures, mobility within the PS microdomains resembled that within the PS homopolymer film, but movements in the PMMA microdomains were notably accelerated compared to the PMMA homopolymer. Conversely, at high temperatures, mobility within both PS and PMMA microdomains was considerably suppressed compared to their respective homopolymer films, likely owing to the fixed linkage of the block chains at the microdomain interface. This combination of real-time AFM observation and PIV analysis is an effective method for quantitatively evaluating surface chain mobility in real space.

In Situ Real-Time Atomic Force Microscopy Observations of Chain Mobility at Polymer/Water Interfaces of Poly(methyl methacrylate), Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate), and Poly(2-methoxyethyl methacrylate) Films in Water

Polymer materials are widely used in water or in contact with an aqueous environment. However, evaluating the chain mobility, a crucial parameter, at a polymer-water interface is challenging. In this study, we, for the first time, observed poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA), and poly(2-methoxyethyl methacrylate) (PMEMA) film surfaces in water via in situ real-time atomic force microscopy (AFM) in tapping mode and quantified the chain mobility. The average displacement between adjacent images (nm/8.75 min) was evaluated using particle image velocimetry. The displacement of PMMA, which has a high bulk glass-transition temperature (Tg) (108 °C) and exhibits limited water absorption, was low both in air (0.54 nm/8.75 min) and water (0.86), while PHEMA, which has a high bulk Tg (99 °C) and exhibits high water absorption, exhibited low mobility in air (0.40) but two orders of magnitude higher mobility in water (60). PMEMA, which has a low bulk Tg (14 °C) and exhibits limited water absorption, already started to move in air (4.5), and its mobility moderately increased in water (20). These behaviors were reasonable, considering the bulk Tg and water absorption characteristics of the polymers. Further, the chain mobility in water was compared with that of dried samples at high temperatures in air. The mobility of PMMA, PHEMA, and PMEMA in water corresponded to that of the dried samples observed in air below the surface Tg (97 °C) for PMMA, at ∼125 °C for PHEMA, and at ∼35 °C for PMEMA. In situ real-time AFM analysis of polymer materials in water is an effective method for evaluating the chain mobility at the polymer/water interface.

Chain Movements at the Topmost Surface of Poly(methyl methacrylate) and Polystyrene Films Directly Evaluated by In Situ High-Temperature Atomic Force Microscopy

The surfaces of polymeric materials are thermodynamically unstable, and the glass-transition temperature (Tg) is significantly lower than that in the bulk material. However, the mobility of the chains at the top of the surface has never been directly evaluated. In this study, the movements of the topmost chains of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) bulk films were observed in situ at high temperatures with atomic force microscopy in tapping mode. PMMA and PS chains started moving at ∼97 and ∼50 °C, respectively, which were slightly and significantly below the values of their bulk Tg (PMMA, 108 °C; PS, 104 °C), respectively. The activation energies of the apparent diffusion constants of PMMA and PS, derived by particle image velocimetry analysis, were 193 and 151 kJ mol-1, respectively, and reasonable for the glass transition. Movements of isolated PMMA chains deposited on a PMMA film by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique were also observed and confirmed to be essentially the same as those on the PMMA film surface.

Molecular Combing of Various Poly(n-Alkyl Acrylate) Chains on Mica by the Dipping Method

If polymer chains could be deposited on a substrate as a fully extended chain, a procedure known as "molecular combing," the chain structure could be characterized by atomic force microscopy in more detail than has been possible with the measurements available today. We show here, for the first time, that flexible polymers can be molecularly combed to fully extended chains by the dipping method. We studied the molecular combing of a series of poly(n-alkyl acrylate)s on mica from a chloroform solution by the dipping method and found that poly(n-alkyl acrylate)s with an alkyl group longer than n-octyl can be molecularly combed into straight chains under optimized conditions. With increasing alkyl lengths, the number of chains deposited decreases by four orders of magnitude, and chains become molecularly combed under a wider range of conditions. The length of the molecularly combed chains is ∼80% for poly(n-octyl acrylate) but ∼100% of the all-trans conformation for poly(n-alkyl acrylate)s with an alkyl length longer than n-nonyl.

In situ AFM Observation of the Movements of Isolated Isotactic Poly(methyl methacrylate) Chains in a Precursor Film of an Oligo(methyl methacrylate) Droplet Spreading on Mica

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a powerful tool to observe polymer chains at the molecular level. In this study, we show that the movements of isolated linear polymer chains in a precursor film of a droplet of an oligomer spreading on a substrate could be visualized in situ at the molecular level by AFM for the first time. The system was an isotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (it-PMMA) solubilized in an oligo(MMA) matrix (it-PMMA/oligo(MMA) = 1/10,000 w/w) spreading on mica under high humidity. Because of the limited resolution of the AFM instrument, condensed linear polymer chains could not be visualized, but a small amount of it-PMMA chains that were solubilized as isolated chains in the oligo(MMA) matrix could be visualized in the precursor film, the contrast of which came from a large difference in glass transition temperature (T_g) of it-PMMA and oligo(MMA). The it-PMMA chains in the precursor film spread in the radial direction of the droplet with vigorously changing chain conformations. The spreading rate of it-PMMA chains under 72% relative humidity was ∼1/30 of the spreading rate of the oligo(MMA) matrix, which was estimated based on the decrease in the volume of the macroscopic droplet. The spreading of the it-PMMA chains and droplet strongly depended on humidity and was suppressed with the decrease in humidity, most likely because of the increase in friction with the substrate. The difference in the spreading rate of it-PMMA and oligo(MMA) further increased under low humidity. The dynamic molecular information of a precursor film by AFM should help to elucidate the wetting dynamics on a substrate.

100th Anniversary of Macromolecular Science Viewpoint: Single-Molecule Studies of Synthetic Polymers

Single polymer studies have revealed unexpected and heterogeneous dynamics among identical or seemingly similar macromolecules. In recent years, direct observation of single polymers has uncovered broad distributions in molecular behavior that play a key role in determining bulk properties. Early single polymer experiments focused primarily on biological macromolecules such as DNA, but recent advances in synthesis, imaging, and force spectroscopy have enabled broad exploration of chemically diverse polymer systems. In this Viewpoint, we discuss the recent study of synthetic polymers using single-molecule methods. In terms of polymer synthesis, direct observation of single chain polymerization has revealed heterogeneity in monomer insertion events at catalytic centers and decoupling of local and global growth kinetics. In terms of single polymer visualization, recent advances in super-resolution imaging, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy (LC-TEM) can resolve structure and dynamics in single synthetic chains. Moreover, single synthetic polymers can be probed in the context of bulk material environments, including hydrogels, nanostructured polymers, and crystalline polymers. In each area, we highlight key challenges and exciting opportunities in using single polymer techniques to enhance our understanding of polymer science. Overall, the expanding versatility of single polymer methods will enable the molecular-scale design and fundamental understanding of a broad range of chemically diverse and functional polymeric materials.

Preparation of a Si(111) Atomically Flat Substrate via Wet Etching and Evaluation as an AFM Substrate for Observations of Isolated Chains, Crystals, and Crystallization of Isotactic Poly(methyl methacrylate) at the Molecular Level

To observe a polymer chain deposited on a substrate by atomic force microscopy (AFM) at the molecular level, the substrate should be atomically flat and stable under laboratory conditions and adsorb polymer chains firmly. Therefore, substrates used under laboratory conditions are practically limited to mica, highly ordered pyrolytic graphite, and atomically stepped sapphire, and polymers observed by AFM at the molecular level are also limited. A silicon wafer is frequently used as a substrate for AFM observation for somewhat macroscopic observations, but the surface of the silicon wafer is too rough to observe polymer chains deposited on it at the molecular level. In this study, we prepared an atomically stepped Si(111) substrate via wet etching in NH₄F and evaluated it as an AFM substrate. The Si(111) substrate was stable as an AFM substrate, and isolated poly(methyl methacrylate) (it-PMMA) chains and a crystalline monolayer deposited on the substrate were observed by AFM at the molecular level. An it-PMMA amorphous monolayer deposited on mica crystallized under high humidity, but that on the Si(111) substrate did not because of the difference in the surface nature and the crystal structure of the substrates. The Si(111) substrate was hydrophobic, and the it-PMMA monolayers could be deposited as a multilayer, which could not be formed on hydrophilic mica. The crystallization behavior of an it-PMMA amorphous multilayer and an amorphous/crystalline mixed multilayer on the Si(111) substrate was also evaluated.

Molecular Combing of a Flexible Polymer Chain by Simple Spin-Casting

If polymer chains could be fixed on a substrate as a fully elongated chain, a procedure known as "molecular combing", the chain structure could be analyzed more precisely than has been possible with the characterization techniques available today. Although the molecular combing of a rigid biomolecule, DNA, has been attained for the mapping of genetic information, that of flexible chains has never been achieved as yet. We show here that poly(n-nonyl acrylate) (PNA) can be molecularly combed on mica by a simple spin-casting method, and that the chain lengths were in good agreement with that of the all-trans conformation. One of the key factors for successful molecular combing was found to be the weak adsorption of PNA on mica, indicating that flexible polymers may be molecularly combed by adjusting their affinity to the substrate. The molecular combing of polymer chains may open a new way not only to characterize the chain structures more precisely but also to fabricate new nanomaterials based on polymers.

Direct visualization of microphase separation in block copoly(3-alkylthiophene)s

A copoly(3-alkylthiophene) block copolymer was synthesized in a one-pot block copolymerization reaction, starting from a functional o-tolyl initiator in order to maximize A–B diblock copolymer formation. The microphase separation behaviour was directly visualized using STM.

Temperature-enhanced solvent vapor annealing of a C3 symmetric hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene: controlling the self-assembly from nano- to macroscale

Temperature-enhanced solvent vapor annealing (TESVA) is used to self-assemble functionalized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules into ordered macroscopic layers and crystals on solid surfaces. A novel C3 symmetric hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene functionalized with alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic side chains is used as a model system since its multivalent character can be expected to offer unique self-assembly properties and behavior in different solvents. TESVA promotes the molecule's long-range mobility, as proven by their diffusion on a Si/SiO(x) surface on a scale of hundreds of micrometers. This leads to self-assembly into large, ordered crystals featuring an edge-on columnar type of arrangement, which differs from the morphologies obtained using conventional solution-processing methods such as spin-coating or drop-casting. The temperature modulation in the TESVA makes it possible to achieve an additional control over the role of hydrodynamic forces in the self-assembly at surfaces, leading to a macroscopic self-healing within the adsorbed film notably improved as compared to conventional solvent vapor annealing. This surface re-organization can be monitored in real time by optical and atomic force microscopy.

Interrogation of Single Synthetic Polymer Chains and Polysaccharides by AFM-Based Force Spectroscopy

This contribution reviews selected mechanical experiments on individual flexible macromolecules using single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) based on atomic force microscopy. Focus is placed on the analysis of elasticity and conformational changes in single polymer chains upon variation of the external environment, as well as on conformational changes induced by the mechanical stress applied to individual macromolecular chains. Various experimental strategies regarding single-molecule manipulation and SMFS testing are discussed, as is theoretical analysis through single-chain elasticity models derived from statistical mechanics. Moreover, a complete record, reported to date, of the parameters obtained when applying the models to fit experimental results on synthetic polymers and polysaccharides is presented.

Photochemically initiated single polymer immobilization

This Concept article surveys methods for attaching single polymer molecules on solid substrates. A general approach to single polymer immobilization based on the photochemistry of perfluorophenylazides is elaborated.