Dr. Svetlana Santer: "Mobility on Sticky Surfaces"

Mobility on Sticky Surfaces

In the growing field of nanotechnology there is a strong demand on new and efficient methods for precise manipulation and transporting of nano-objects on surfaces. Up to now, the main effort is put into two different strategies: manipulation by AFM/STM and nano-engines based on natural motors protein. In both cases the substrate is playing a passive role. Here, we report on a phenomenon observed with a certain type of thin polymer films, suggesting that the substrate by itself can induce motion of adsorbed objects. Thin films made of so-called polymer brushes show unique properties that allow a change to their topography between different morphologies. Along with topography changes, in general also changes of the surface forces on a nano-scale occur, inducing motion of nano-objects of appropriate size, adsorbed on top.