RESONANCE ENERGY TRANSFER AS A TOOL FOR PROBING INTERFACE FORMATION IN NANOCOMPOSITES

Published

June 24, 2012

Author(s)

Mauro Zammarano, Edward D. McCarthy, Douglas M. Fox, Paul H. Maupin, Li Piin Sung, Yeon S. Kim

Abstract

One of the most enduring problems in the evolution of science and technology using nanoscale materials is the characterization of their morphology in macroscopic systems.1 This involves spatial and orientation distribution, which may be multimodal and hierarchical, and requires information from the nano- to the macroscale, i.e., over six orders of magnitude in length scale. Several techniques have been developed for characterizing the morphology of polymer nanocomposites, but none of them is a stand-alone method, capable of addressing all these requirements simultaneously; thus, a multitude of techniques is generally necessary. Furthermore, the material properties in the interface region can be significantly different from the bulk. Here we show how Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) combined with laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) can be used to monitor amount and quality of interface formation at a nanoscale through an easily accessible method that is amenable to high throughput testing.

Proceedings Title

44th International Symposium on Macromolecules (MACRO 2012) – IUPAC World Polymer Congress

Conference Dates

June 24-29, 2012

Conference Location

Blacksburg, VA

Conference Title

44th International Symposium on Macromolecules (MACRO 2012)

Pub Type

Conferences

Keywords

Interface, nanocomposites, resonance energy transfer

Citation

Zammarano, M. , McCarthy, E. , Fox, D. , Maupin, P. , Sung, L. and Kim, Y. (2012), RESONANCE ENERGY TRANSFER AS A TOOL FOR PROBING INTERFACE FORMATION IN NANOCOMPOSITES, 44th International Symposium on Macromolecules (MACRO 2012) – IUPAC World Polymer Congress , Blacksburg, VA (Accessed October 12, 2024)