Supramolecular helical structure of the stereocomplex composed of complementary isotactic and syndiotactic poly(methyl methacrylate)s as revealed by atomic force microscopy

A long-standing question in polymer chemistry has been addressed by AFM, which revealed the helical conformation, handedness, and helical pitch (0.92 nm) of the title stereocomplex formed from a 1:2 mixture of the named polymers (it-and st-PMMA). The results provide convincing evidence for a triple-stranded helix (see structure against a background of the AFM image) as a plausible model for the stereocomplex. (Figure Presented). © 2007 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.