title: Size separation of macromolecules during spreading.
abstract: Spreading of homogeneous mixtures of bottle-brush and linear macromolecules of poly(n-butylacrylate) on a solid substrate has been monitored on the molecular scale by atomic force microscopy. Despite the nearly identical chemical composition and similar molecular weight, brush-like macromolecules move markedly slower than linear chains. Moreover, smaller bottle-brushes have been shown to flow faster than the larger bottle-brushes, resulting in fractionation of the macromolecules along the spreading direction. This behavior was explained by the difference in sliding friction coefficient between the bottle-brush macromolecules and linear chains with the substrate. A theoretical model of molecular size separation is in a good agreement with experimental data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Frank C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Alper
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nese
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matyjaszewski
authors.forename: Jan-Michael Y
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Carrillo
authors.forename: Andrey V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Dobrynin
authors.forename: Sergei S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Sheiko