POLYMER INTERFACES AND ULTRATHIN FILMS CHARACTERIZED BY OPTICAL EVANESCENT WAVE TECHNIQUES

Polymer surfaces and ultrathin films are characterized by novel optical techniques based on evanescent waves. We first describe photo-ablation studies with polysilane films investigated by surface plasmon microscopy, a technique which is particularly well-suited for ultrathin samples. Thicker films that are homogeneous enough to carry optical waveguide modes can be characterized with high lateral resolution by the recently developed waveguide microscopy. The next example concerns the application of surface plasmon microscopes to the investigation of a biopolymer adsorption from an aqueous phase to a functionalized membrane interface: We present a quantitative kinetic analysis of the specific recognition reaction between streptavidin and biotin. Finally, we report on surface plasmon field-enhanced Raman-spectroscopic and -imaging investigations of ultrathin Langmuir-Blodgett-Kuhn-layers of cadmium arachidate.