Chemical attachment of polystyrene-block-poly(methacrylic acid) micelles on a silicon nitride surface

Polystyrene-bloch-poly(methacrylic acid) micelles were chemically attached to an activated silicon nitride surface using a 1-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide methiodide coupling reaction. It has been found that this attachment method is very efficient from mixed 1,4-dioxane-water solvents and less efficient in purely aqueous media. The modified surfaces were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy(AFM). Experimental conditions for surface attachment have been found such that no changes in micellar size or polydispersity occur. The SEM and AFM images allow an additional method for the evaluation of size distributions of micelles. A comparison with the quasi-elastic light scattering data from solutions shows that the distribution functions based on the SEM and AFM data for dried micelles fixed on the surface correlate reasonably well with the light scattering data on micelles in solutions.