McGill.CA / Science / Department of Physics

CPM Seminar

Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Thin Films:
Assembly, Questions, and Applications

Christopher Barrett

Centre for the Physics of Materials
and
Department of Chemistry
McGill University

This talk will describe the polymer thin film materials on which our research is based. These polymers are water-soluble polyelectrolytes, which can be self-assembled into structures on the molecular lengthscale in an aqueous environment, using the + and - ionic groups as building blocks. Many interesting questions about the structure and nature of the layers remain unanswered. In situ methods to probe the layers will be described, and a scaling approach to model some of the anomalous behaviour. This optical and structural properties of these films can also be interrelated in these materials, by incorporating isomerizing chromophores such as azobenzene. This may allow light to be used to gather information about surfaces and structures, and also allow light to be used to influence surface and structural properties.

Wednesday, May 10th 2000, 15:30
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, room 114