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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
Published on: August 2, 2012
Quantifying adhesion bond parameters to distinguish interactions of hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks of
Pamela Y Meadows1, Jason E Bemis, Gilbert C Walker
1Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, Asylum Research, Santa Barbara, California 93117-5550, USA.
Abstract:
An analysis of the loading rate dependence of the forces required to rupture an AFM tip from a block copolymer surface has provided insight into the structure of the surface-macromolecule contact, differentiation of the block contacting the tip, a measure of the polymer-surface binding energy, and the rigidity of the contact. Polystyrene-poly-2-vinylpyridine block copolymers were studied adsorbing to silicon nitride. Polystyrene makes stiff van der Waals contact with the silicon nitride surface in aqueous solution, while the bond of poly-2-vinylpyridine to the surface is more flexible and may involve a bridging water.
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