Static and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Single Polymer Chains

Abstract

Since the invention of atomic force microscopy (AFM), researchers have been able to study the statistical mechanical properties of individual polymer chains by using a technique known as single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), which stretches a single polymer chain by attaching one end of the chain to a substrate and the other end to the AFM tip. SMFS is used to obtain static information about single polymer chains, mainly through a quasistatic stretching process. With technological developments in recent years, dynamic SMFS measurements under nonequilibrium conditions have also been realized. The dynamic viscoelasticity of single molecule chains can also be measured, which will benefit our understanding of the nonequilibrium dynamic properties of polymeric materials.