CHED 694 |
| Polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-PEO) diblock copolymer is an amphiphilic polymer that phase separates into well-defined nanostructures resembling dots, spaghetti, and continents. The amount and size of these domains depend on several parameters, including the relative amount of PEO present. To better examine the effect of PS, we investigated a series of PS-PEO in which each polymer contained a PEO block of ca 17,000 g•mol-1 (17k) with PS blocks ranging from 4 to 200k. The polymers were spread at the air/water interface on a Langmuir trough and characterized through isothermal compression to determine the dependence of mean molecular area on surface pressure. The PS-PEO samples were also transferred as Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films onto a mica substrate and examined through tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). In addition, the PS-PEO was spread at the oil/water interface in order to examine the effect of the interface on spreading behavior. |
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Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Polymer Chemistry
11:00 AM-1:00 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |