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Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
Published on: September 26, 2016
Thermotropic dynamic processes in multiphase polymer systems by (cryo-)AFM
1Graz Centre for Electron Microscopy and Institute for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis, Graz University of Technology, Steyrergasse 17, A-8010 Graz, Austria. nadejda.matsko@felmi-zfe.at.
Abstract:
The structural (volume and enthalpy) relaxation of polymers during physical aging has a great relevance in materials science and engineering as it significantly changes the long-term material performance. In this article, we propose a methodological approach of (cryo-)atomic force microscopy (AFM) monitoring of macromolecular rearrangements which accompany structural relaxation within bulk of the polymer during physical aging. In contrast to conventional spectroscopic, scattering and thermal analysis techniques, high resolution topographical/phase imaging of the bulk cross-section over a large period of time and within a wide range of temperatures (-120 °C to +20 °C) yields unique information about the evolution of the polymer ultrastructure as a function of time and temperature in situ.
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