Direct imaging of polyethylene films at single-chain resolution with torsional tapping atomic force microscopy

The physical properties of semicrystalline polymers depend on the organisation of chains within the crystal and amorphous regions, on the interface between the two, and on the location and nature of defects. Here, torsional tapping atomic force microscopy has been used to image crystalline lamellae and the crystal-amorphous-region interface at the single-chain level with resolution down to 3.7 Å. Defects within the crystalline phase, such as buried folds and chain ends, are revealed. Imaging at the chain level also allows direct measurement of crystalline stem lengths, providing a potential route to test theories of crystal thickness selection.