title: Nanoscale analysis of a functionalized polythiophene surface by adhesion mapping.
abstract: Functionalized ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) monomers, hydroxymethyl EDOT (EDOT-OH), and zwitterionic phosphorylcholine EDOT (EDOT-PC) were electropolymerized to prepare the homopolymers poly(EDOT-OH) and poly(EDOT-PC), and mixtures of these monomers were used to produce the copolymer poly(EDOT-OH)-co-poly(EDOT-PC). Force-extension-curve-based atomic force microscopy (AFM) was utilized to analyze the surfaces of the films. The PEDOT-OH film yielded force-extension curves for short stretching, and the PEDOT-PC film yielded curves for long stretching. A dendron-modified AFM tip with anthracene groups tethered at the end resulted in adhesion maps with the highest contrast. The analytical data for the copolymer films correlated with the corresponding monomer composition, and the maps revealed that the average size for the copolymer nanodomains ranged from 10-14 nm. This approach can be applied to studies aimed at understanding the surface structure of other relevant polymers and copolymers at the nanoscale level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Pohang University of Science and Technology , San 31 Hyoja-dong, Pohang 790-784, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ju-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kwak
authors.forename: Joon Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Shyh-Chyang
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Hsiao-hua
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Yu