Adsorption of polyelectrolyte molecules to a nanostructured monolayer of amphiphiles

We investigate the conformation of atactic poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) molecules both in water-ethanol solutions and adsorbed to a template provided by a nanostructured monolayer of flat-lying octadecylamines on graphite. The conformations of the PSS molecules in these solutions undergo two conformational transitions, a re-entry transition at 40 vol % and a coil-globule conformational transition at 80 vol % ethanol. On the surface the conformations are characterized by two different length scales: on a short length scale they are defined by the template, whereas the large-scale structures reflect the conformations in solution. We conclude that the conformational transitions are discontinuous on the level of single molecules and appear continuous in the ensemble.