AFM investigation of condensed states of polymer chains of polyolefines

Condensates are compact states adopted by polymer chains freely floating in a solution when some physical parameters (temperature, salt conditions, quality of a solution or due to the action of some condensing agents) are changed. In experimental studies up to now this term was used for a description of some conformations of hydrophilic and electrically charged rigid DNA chains, particularly rods and toroids [1-4]. Here we present the results of AFM observations of similar morphologies for hydrophobic polyolefines-polymers with quite different chemical structure and physical properties. Several grades of polyethylene and isotactic polypropylene (iPP) were used for study.