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Authors
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G. Reiter, G. Castelein, J.-U. Sommer, Andreas Röttele, Thomas Thurn-Albrecht
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Title
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Direct Visualization of Random Crystallization and Melting in Arrays of Nanometer-Size Polymer Crystals
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Date
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07.11.2001
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Abstract
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Using tapping mode atomic force microscopy, we visualized in direct space and time resolved the changes in viscoelastic properties during crystallization and melting of polyethyleneoxide in 12 nm spheres of a block copolymer mesophase. All spheres crystallized individually and independently, randomly distributed sphere by sphere. Melting of the confined crystals also proceeded in a stochastic manner. Not all spheres melted at the same temperature, indicating different degrees of order of the individual nanometer-size polymer crystals. The independence of the spheres opens the possibility to manipulate material properties of surfaces at the nanometer scale.
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Journal
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Physical Review Letters 87 (2001) 226101, 4 Pages
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DOI
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https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.226101
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