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The characterization of polymer interfaces by fluorescence decay measurements
Author(s) -
Winnik Mitchell A.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
makromolekulare chemie. macromolecular symposia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.257
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-3900
pISSN - 0258-0322
DOI - 10.1002/masy.19920530130
Subject(s) - polymer , chromophore , chemical physics , fluorescence , diffusion , acceptor , materials science , characterization (materials science) , förster resonance energy transfer , copolymer , molecule , phase (matter) , transfer matrix , matrix (chemical analysis) , chemical engineering , photochemistry , nanotechnology , optics , chemistry , thermodynamics , physics , composite material , computer science , organic chemistry , condensed matter physics , engineering , computer vision
Fluorescence decay measurements of energy transfer between donor (D) and acceptor (A) chromophores covalently attached to polymers can provide rich information about a polymer system. Here we use these techniques to study two quite different polymer phenomena. The first involves the diffusion of polymer molecules across the interfaces created during latex film formation. We are able to determine diffusion coefficients for this process. The second involves the phase separation which occurs in mixtures of homopolymers and graft copolymers. Here we are able to show that where a component of the graft is highly incompatible with the homopolymer matrix, interconnected domains of very small size can form. Under certain circumstances fluorescence decay measurements in conjunction with the recent model for “energy transfer in restricted geometrics” can be used to map out the size and shape of these domains.