1
Return

Direct Identification of Polymer Chain Folding in Lamellar Crystals by Correlated Single-Molecule FRET and Atomic Force Microscopy

delete2026-06-12
delete0
PRE
AI
S
Samantha Eyolfson
R
Ryan C. Hayward *
D
Daniel K. Schwartz *
DOI:10.1021/acs.macromol.6c01000delete
deleteOriginal
deleteOriginal request for help
deleteShare
deleteSave
Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Polymer crystals often take the form of lamellae, which exhibit variations in thickness that are commonly attributed to heterogeneity in the state of chain folding. Here, single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (SM-FRET) microscopy and spatially correlated atomic force microscopy (AFM) height measurements were used to directly probe the correlation between chain conformation and local crystal thickness for end-labeled poly(ethylene oxide) chains. Correlated SM-FRET and AFM measurements on the same crystals revealed two dominant and well-defined populations: low FRET chains in thick lamellae (extended, n = 0) and high FRET chains in thin lamellae (singly folded, n = 1). Spatially resolved measurements showed that multiple folding states frequently coexist within individual crystals. Population-level analysis further revealed an intermediate FRET population, indicating additional conformational structure within crystalline regions. These results explicitly connect single-chain conformations with lamellar structure in polymer crystals and establish SM-FRET as a useful method for characterizing chain conformation.
Keywords:
Conformation
Crystals
Fluorescence resonance energy transfer
Polymers
Structural characteristics

Journal

Macromolecules cover
Macromolecules
IF:
5.2
Papers:
3.6W
Citations:
9.4W

Organization

U
university of colorado boulder
Scholars:
1.9W
Papers: 1.5W
Citations: 33
Cited Papers

Cited Papers

Citing Papers

Citing Papers