Probing mesoscale molecular domains at surfaces of polymeric condensed matter with scanning force microscopy

摘要

In addition to single-molecule measurements, the spatial sampling of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) has opened research frontiers by enabling measurements over mesoscopic scales (~1-100 nm). Thus not only can one get past the ensemble averaging of macroscopic techniques to reveal the ensemble; one can also contrast ensembles from different mesoscopic spatial domains. The dynamics of polymeric condensed matter involves much more than single-chain behavior or the interaction between two chains across a small-molecule medium. Both segmental and diffusive dynamics near surfaces depend on mesoscale environment: entanglement, tertiary structure, crosslinking, etc., and in the presence of plasticizing molecules or adjacent to a small-molecule liquid medium.