Probing adsorbed polymer chains using atomic force microscopy:: interpretation of rupture distributions

The conformation of adsorbed polymers is of primary importance for the properties of the generated surface. Theoretical efforts have been made to understand and predict these conformations. In several recent reports, force curves using atomic force microscopy have been proposed as a new tool to probe the conformation of adsorbed polymers through the analysis of the rupture distributions. For a dense polymer layer; many bridges form between the tip and the surface giving highly non-monotonous force profiles. Using recently developed tools for the detection of ruptures and the visualization of the rupture distributions we address the problem of the interpretation of rupture distributions. Two phenomenological constants are deduced and their physical meaning is assessed by varying experimental parameters.