When polymers form into a fiber, the ratio of the surface and the interface against the total volume drastically increases. Since the aggregated polymer chains located at the surface and the interface are in different energy states compared with those in a bulk, the structure and physical properties at the surface and the interface differ from the corresponding bulk ones. Thus, understanding and control of the interfacial properties make it possible to improve the performance of polymeric fiber materials. Under this concept, we have examined the aggregation structure and the dynamics of the polymer chains at the surface and the interface. The knowledge obtained has been applied to the development of a biomaterial and an organic thin film device.

References
Langmuir, 30, 6565 (2014); Langmuir, 30, 1215 (2014); NPG Asia Mater., 6, e92 (2014); ACS Macro Lett., 2, 856 (2013); J. Am. Chem. Soc., 135, 10282 (2013).

Questionnaire 2014/Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology Fii