Controlled lateral confinement was investigated using force curve data collected on surfactant adsorbed to patterned surfaces using an atomic force microscope (AFM). Confinement was induced using nano-trenches with silica at the bottom, and walls of either pure polymethyl methacylate (PMMA) or a copolymer of PMMA and methacrylic acid (MAA) to vary hydrophobicity.  From the force curves we showed that surfactant adsorbed within trenches were affected by the polymer chemistry but there was no observable effect caused by the trench dimensions down to 30 nm of confinement.  Pillar type structures were also used to induce confinement through a lack of surface area and various pillar shapes were used in the mapping to study the effects of the pillar edge proximity on the adsorbed surfactant.  Comparisons were then made between the trench and pillar results to images and values collected on flat surfaces.  The ultimate goal of this research is to compare the results found using these nano-structures with molecular dynamics simulations performed using similar geometric confinement.

Investigating the effects of controlled lateral confinement width and surface chemistry on surfactant adsorption onto silica using AFM

255th National Meeting (2018)

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