Spontaneous Buckling Induced by the Adsorption of Charged Copolymers at the Air-Water Interface

Abstract

We present results of the adsorption of charged diblock copolymers at the free interface between air and solution. These copolymers are water soluble and act as surfactants above some concentration. Through thermodynamic and diffuse X-ray surface scattering measurements, we demonstrate the influence of the concentration on the formed adsorbed layer. While sufficiently long copolymers adsorb by forming structures which do not deform the interface, short copolymers are shown to induce buckling of the interface due to interchain interactions.