Applications and Outlooks of Quartz Crystal Microbalance in Studies of Polymer Thin Films

Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has high sensitivity and can response to the change of trace matter on the surface of quartz crystal. QCM can be used to detect the mass change in nanogram scale and the thickness change in nanometer scale, which has extensive applications in diversely research fields of analytical chemistry. In this article, the working principle and basic equations of QCM were illustrated. The recent applications and advances of QCM analysis in the studies of polymer thin film were then reviewed, including the measurement of thickness and mechanical properties of the polymer thin film, the adsorption and conformation evolution of polymer chains on the surface of quartz crystal, the polymerization kinetics of surface initiated polymer brushes, chemical- and bio-sensors based on functional polymer thin film and QCM, and so on. The further applications and development of QCM analysis in the research field of polymer thin film were also discussed.