Direct imaging single molecule diffusion in a solid polymer host

doi:10.1016/S0009-2614(96)01325-5

Chemical Physics Letters

Volume 263, Issue 6, 27 December 1996, Pages 721-726

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0009-2614(96)01325-5 Get rights and content

Abstract

The time evolution of the microscopic lateral diffusion and dynamic reorientation of individual dye molecules dispersed in a thin polymer film is probed by means of scanning near-field optical microscopy at room temperature and ambient conditions. On a sub-micrometer scale we identify regions where the diffusion is drastically non-random, while the statistical average of the trajectories of 97 molecules in a 4 μm × 4 μm section displays random-walk behavior.

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¹: Permanent address: Institute of Applied Photophysics, Technical University Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany.

²: Present address: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352, USA.

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Direct imaging single molecule diffusion in a solid polymer host

Abstract

Biophys. J.

Introduction to polymer dynamics

Adv. Polym. Sci.

Macromolecules

Macromolecules

Science

Nature

Science

Science

Opt. Engineering