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2D reflectometry for the investigation of polymer interfaces: off-specular neutron scattering.

Aljoša HafnerPhilipp GutfreundBoris P TopervergMark GeogheganMichele Sferrazza
Published in: Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal (2021)
Specular and off-specular neutron reflectometry have been used in a combined approach to study thin polymer films. Our goal in this work is to illustrate the power of the off-specular scattering technique to probe the properties of the buried interface of immiscible polymer bilayers of deuterated polystyrene and protonated poly(methyl methacrylate) (h-PMMA). The diffuse scattering stemming from these systems is discussed in relation to thermal fluctuations at the polymer/polymer interface, providing a means to extract in-plane correlation lengths from buried interfaces. In addition the onset of hole formation in the top layer is evidenced by the diffuse scattering, not easily detectable by specular reflection alone.
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