https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/e2004-00049-8
Cylindrical molecular brushes under poor solvent conditions: microscopic observation and scaling analysis
1
Organische Chemie III, Universität Ulm, 89069, Ulm, Germany
2
LRMP/UMR 5067 CNRS UPPA, 2 avenue du Président Angot, Helioparc Pau-Pyrénées, 64053, Pau Cedex 9, France
* e-mail: borisov@univ-pau.fr
Axial contraction of cylindrical molecular brushes of polymethylmethacrylate was observed by static light scattering and scanning force microscopy. Single brush molecules were visualized as worm-like particles whose length was almost three times shorter than the contour length of the backbone. A somewhat larger length was measured by light scattering in a good solvent. A scaling approach has been used to analyze the driving forces for the axial contraction and the conformation of the molecular brushes.
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, and Springer-Verlag, 2004
