Self-Diffusion of Poly(isobutyl methacrylate) in Thin Films

While relevant to a variety of applications, such as nanocomposite intercalation and molecular transfer printing, the diffusion of polymers parallel to their confining interfaces has received limited experimental attention to date. A refinement of fluorescence recovery after patterned photobleaching (FRAPP) has been developed by our group as a versatile platform for understanding nanoconfined diffusion. Poly(isobutyl methacrylate) (PiBMA) is an ideal candidate for these studies because (in quartz or silicon wafer supported thin films) it exhibits a film thickness independent glass transition temperature (Tg). This is important because, according to the Rouse model, the diffusion coefficient does not depend simply on the absolute temperature, but on the distance from Tg. Therefore, in our systems the origin of the diffusion coefficient is possibly decoupled from Tg changes that are present in other polymer systems. In this talk, the effect of a variety of parameters, such as film thickness, diffusion temperature, and confining interfaces, will be discussed.