Orientational ordering of polymers with A.F.M. in contact mode: an application to conjugated polymers

Summary form only given. Among near field microscope, the atomic force microscope appears as a powerful and versatile tool allowing to investigate local viscoelastic properties, friction coefficient and adhesivness. In addition, we can take advantage of the tip sample interaction, in part due to the adhesion, to perturb then to modify the surface of soft samples. Here we report an attempt to modify the structure of a substituted polyacetylene film spread on a surface. Regular patterns are obtained, and we show that scan frequency and applied load are the pertinent parameters that control the period. These results allow us to describe the bundle formation with a peeling process. In this way, we are able to predict, thus to prepare structure with a chosen period. Because of the drastic changes of conjugated polymer properties when chain alignment is performed, the creation of controlled periodic arrangement should be of great interest.