Abstract
Polymers represent materials that are applied in almost all areas of modern life, therefore, the characterization of polymer layers using different methods is of great importance. In this review, the main attention is dedicated to the non-invasive and label-free optical and acoustic methods, namely spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). The specific advantages of these techniques applied for in situ monitoring of polymer layer formation and characterization, biomolecule immobilization, and registration of specific interactions were summarized and discussed. In addition, the exceptional benefits and future perspectives of combined spectroscopic ellipsometry and QCM-D (SE/QCM-D) in one measurement are overviewed. Recent advances in the discussed area allow us to conclude that especially significant breakthroughs are foreseen in the complementary application of both QCM-D and SE techniques for the investigation of polymer structure and assessment of the interaction between biomolecules such as antigens and antibodies, receptors and ligands, and complementary DNA strands.
Highlights
Polymers, whether natural or artificial, have unique properties depending on the type of molecules, which form the polymer backbone, and inter-chain interactions
The Application of Spectroscopic Ellipsometry for the Characterization of Optical Properties mainly applied for investigation of the layers with thicknesses ranging from a few naof Polymers nometers to a few microns
Recent advances in the development and application of spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). Illustrate that this method is well suited for real-time investigation of various polymeric structures, ranging from synthetic polymers without or with biomolecules to highly complex polymer-based composites
Summary
Whether natural or artificial, have unique properties depending on the type of molecules, which form the polymer backbone, and inter-chain interactions. The immobilization of biomolecules or formation of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) at interfaces using various polymers films represents an extremely important task in the design and development of biosensors [8–12] For this purpose, analytical methods that can provide information about the physical and chemical properties of polymeric films are required. Measurement of changes in light polarization state renders ellipsometry an attractive tool for the investigation of polymers thin film optical properties [19] Such information including sample refractive index, extinction coefficient, surface roughness, and thickness of the layer can be extracted from ellipsometric measurements. The parameters of polymeric materials, such as adsorbed amounts of polymer, film thickness, optical and viscoelastic properties, can be extracted from the measured characteristics as quantitative information [14,26,30] Both techniques can be combined simultaneously during the same measurement and provide information about the real mass of deposited material
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
