Self-assembly in evaporated polymer solutions: influence of the solution concentration
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Reactive Vapor Deposition of Conjugated Polymer Films on Arbitrary Substrates
Published on: January 17, 2018
Edward Bormashenko1, Roman Pogreb, Albina Musin
1The College of Judea and Samaria, The Research Institute, 44837 Ariel, Israel. edward@yosh.ac.il
Abstract:
Amorphous polymers were dissolved in chlorinated organic solvents and deposited on thin horizontal substrates. The solutions with various concentrations of polymers were deposited and evaporated under ambient conditions in a slow air current. Self-assembled oriented mesoscopically scaled patterns were observed. The patterns were studied with optical and atomic force microscopy. The concentration of the solution exerts a decisive influence on the mesoscopic cell characteristic dimension. Cell dimensions grow linearly with the polymer solution concentration for all kinds of tested polymers, chlorinated solvents and substrates. The dependence could be explained by a physical mechanism, based on the mass transport instability occurring under the intensive evaporation of the solvent. In situ FTIR study of the process was performed first. It was established with FTIR spectroscopy that film porosity is not due to water droplet condensation under evaporation.
More Related Videos
09:22Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
Published on: February 7, 2017
11:42Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
Published on: June 20, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Polymers
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers
As the step-growth polymerization involves step-wise condensation of monomers, the molecular weight also builds up eventually. Consequently, high molecular weight polymers are obtained at the late stages of the polymerization, where 99% of monomers have been consumed.
The extent of the...
Determination of Molar Masses of Polymers I
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Polymorphism, Amorphism and Pseudopolymorphism
Some polymorphic crystals possess lower aqueous solubility than their amorphous counterparts, leading to incomplete absorption. For instance, the oral suspension of Chloramphenicol, which...
Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism