We have studied crystallization in thin films of isotactic polystyrene (iPS) to better understand the morphology and formation of these structures through the use of polarization
modulation near-field scanning optical microscopy (PM-NSOM). Polymer crystallites consisting of ordered layers (lamella) of folded chains are grown from amorphous iPS film. While the structure of
bulk polymer crystallites (spherulites) is well established,1 a variety of less-understood forms, including dendritic structures, are found in ultra-thin (<100 nm) films. In addition, there are
questions regarding how crystallization occurs in these constrained systems where the film thickness is comparable to the polymer chain dimensions. By combining polarimetric techniques with NSOM,
we can measure the local linear birefringence (retardance) and the linear dichroism of thin-film samples, which provides quantitative information regarding molecular alignment in thin films with
spatial resolution as high as 50 nm. NSOM-generated polarimetric images of polymer crystallites should provide valuable information regarding the mesoscopic morphology of these structures and give
clues to their formation.
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Date
2003-01-01
Copyright Notice
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/disclaim.htm
Journal
Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering
Volume
88
Pages
145-146
Copyright Agreement
on
Additional Notes
Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering 2003, 88, 145; Scholarship: SNG is grateful to the National Research Council for a National Institute of Standards and Technology
Post-doctoral Research Fellowship.
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View Journal Article: Near-Field Polarimetric Characterization of Semi-Crystalline Polymer Systems 