The conformation of adsorbed polyacrylamide and derived polymers

We have studied the adsorption of different polyacrylamide derivatives in water on freshly cleaved mica surfaces. Using the potential of measuring force versus distance profiles with an atomic force microscope (AFM), we investigate the conformation and the loop distribution of adsorbed chains. In particular, we explain that (i) the loop distribution of the polyacrylamide homopolymer can be described from scaling laws arguments, (ii) the loop distribution of statistical copolymers should be a signature of the distribution of the monomers along the chain backbone, and (iii) hydrophobically modified polyacrylamide copolymers form surface gels whose growing kinetics can be studied by AFM. Our results also show that the co-operative effect of H-bonding can give much larger adhesion that ionic association.