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Chain conformation in ultrathin polymer films

Nature volume 400, pages 146–149 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

Polymer thin films are used in a variety of technological applications—for example, as paints, lubricants and adhesives. Theories that predict the properties of molten polymers in confined geometries (as in a thin film) generally start from the premise that the chains maintain their unperturbed gaussian conformation in the direction parallel to the surface1,2,3,4,5. This assumption has been questioned, however, by recent experiments6,7,8. Here we use small-angle neutron scattering to characterize the chain structure and conformation in ultrathin (less than 100 nm) polymer films. The conformation can be deduced directly from the scattering from mixtures of protonated and perdeuterated polystyrenes. We find that the gaussian conformation is retained parallel to the surfaces in all cases. Chain sizes equal the bulk value, within experimental uncertainty, although there is a systematic trend towards chain swelling in the thinnest films.

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Figure 1: Plots of I (q) versus q for dPS films of Mn = 270K.
Figure 2: Plots of I (q) as a function of q for dPS/hPS blends of Mn = 270K.
Figure 3: Plots of I (0)/I bulk(0) (b) and R G/R G,bulk (a) as a function of D /R G,bulk for all of tthe blends studied here.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the NSF, Division of Materials Research, the American Chemical Society (R.L.J., S.K.), the Department of Energy (T.P.R.) and the US Department of Commerce (R.M.B., D.H.). The US Department of Commerce and the NSF supported the neutron scattering facilities at NIST used in this work. We are grateful to C. Glinka for his encouragement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, 16803, Pennsylvania, USA

    Ronald L. Jones & Sanat K. Kumar

  2. Department of Materials and Nuclear Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, 20740, Maryland, USA

    Derek L. Ho & Robert M. Briber

  3. Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 01003, Massachusetts, USA

    Thomas P. Russell

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  1. Ronald L. Jones
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Correspondence to Sanat K. Kumar.

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Jones, R., Kumar, S., Ho, D. et al. Chain conformation in ultrathin polymer films. Nature 400, 146–149 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/22080

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