Some recent developments in SPM of crystalline polymers

Some recent advances in the application of atomic force microscopy to crystalline polymers are detailed. Ultra‐high resolution imaging of crystal surfaces, combined with the analysis of computer generated Connolly surfaces, enables the unambiguous identification of features on the cellulose crystal surface at near‐atomic resolution. The electronic enhancement of the quality factor of the cantilever when tapping in liquids enables a considerable improvement in force sensitivity to be obtained, allowing the fully saturated surface of an isotactic polystyrene gel to be imaged under the solvating molecule, at nanometre resolution. A series of experiments are detailed in which processes such as crystallization, crystal thickening and crystal deformation are followed in situ, in real time, providing significant new insights into long standing problems in polymer science.