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Visualizing Surface Phase Separation in PS-PMMA Polymer Blends at the Nanoscale.

Dušan Mrđenović1, Daniel Abbott1, Victor Mougel1

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|May 20, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) visualizes nanoscale phase separation in polymer blends. This advanced technique reveals both lateral and vertical polymer distribution, crucial for functional material applications.

Keywords:
nanoscale imagingnanospectroscopyphase separationpolymer blendstip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Polymer Science
  • Spectroscopy

Background:

  • Phase-separated polymer blends are vital functional materials for solar cells, catalysis, and biotechnology.
  • Precise control and visualization of nanoscale phase separation are critical but challenging with conventional methods.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce and validate tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) as a nanoanalytical tool for characterizing polymer blend films.
  • To determine the lateral and vertical phase separation in polystyrene-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-PMMA) blend films at the nanometer scale.

Main Methods:

  • Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS)
  • Atomic force microscopy (AFM)
  • Confocal Raman spectroscopy
  • X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)

Main Results:

  • TERS, AFM, confocal Raman, and XPS revealed vertical phase separation within the top ~20 nm of PS-PMMA blend films.
  • TERS and XPS confirmed PMMA presence within 9.2 nm of the surface and PS at the subsurface.

Conclusions:

  • TERS is established as a powerful technique for nanoscale surface characterization of polymer blends.
  • Understanding nanoscale phase separation is key for optimizing functional polymer materials.