| Abstract: | Polystyrene and polymethacrylate with 3,4,5-tris4-(tetradecyloxy)benzyloxy]benzoic acid and 3,4,5-tris3,4,5-tris(dodecyloxy)benzyloxy]benzyl alcohol side groups, respectively, were visualized by scanning force microscopy (SFM). The cylindrical molecules did not interpenetrate and their chain ends could be resolved in the images allowing quantitative evaluation of their length distribution. Whereas the polymethacrylate with the sterically most demanding side groups demonstrated a fairly good agreement between the SFM length and the calculated contour length, the polystyrene with the less branched substituent appeared to be at least two times shorter. The reduced length of the polymer chains was attributed to a disordered helixlike conformation. |
