Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

DNA Nanotubes as a Versatile Tool to Study Semiflexible Polymers
Published on: October 25, 2017
Elastic modulus of a polymer nanodroplet: theory and experiment
Apostolos E A S Evangelopoulos1, Emmanouil Glynos, Frédéric Madani-Grasset
1Institute for Materials and Processes, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. a.evangelopoulos@ed.ac.uk
Abstract:
We redevelop a theoretical model that, in conjunction with atomic force microscopy (AFM), can be used as a noninvasive method for determination of the elastic modulus of a polymer nanodroplet residing on a flat, rigid substrate. The model is a continuum theory that combines surface and elasticity theories for prediction of the droplet's elastic modulus, given experimental measurement of its adsorbed height. Utilization of AFM-measured heights for relevant droplets reported in the literature and from our own experiments illustrated the following: the significance of both surface and elasticity effects in determining a polymer droplet's spreading behavior; the extent of a continuum theory's validity as one approaches the nanoscale; and a droplet size effect on the elastic modulus.
Related Concept Videos
Determination of Molar Masses of Polymers II
Dynamic Modulus of Elasticity of Concrete
The sonic test is a common method to determine the dynamic modulus. In this test, a concrete beam, sized either 6 x 6 x 30 inches or 4 x 4 x 20 inches, is clamped at its center. Vibrations are initiated at one end of the beam by an electromagnetic exciter unit powered by a...
Polymers: Molecular Weight Distribution
Strain and Elastic Modulus
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...

