Surface studies of the rearrangement of end groups of a polymer by ToF-SIMS and AFM

The polymer (BA-CB) was prepared by condensation polymerization of bisphenol A and 1,8-dibromooctane. The bromine atoms that were attached to the ends of the polymer chains could be used to determine the distribution of the end groups on the surface of BA-C8 polymer films. The surface morphology was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) tapping mode phase imaging. Direct observation of the growth process of a spherulite indicates that the diameter of the spherulite increases with time. The spatial distribution of the end group, Br, was determined by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) chemical imaging. For the amorphous films, a homogeneous distribution of the end groups at the surface was found, while for the semicrystalline films the end groups rearranged and preferentially segregated at the surface of the boundaries and the eyes of the spherulites.