The influence of solvent residue, support type and UV-irradiation on surface morphology of poly(methyl methacrylate) films studied by Atomic Force Microscopy

Thin poly(methyl methacrylate) films have been obtained by casting polymer solution onto borosilicate glass and aluminum supports from organic solvents, such as chloroform, chlorobenzene, toluene, acetone and tetrahydrofuran. Atomic Force Microscopy has been chosen as a method for investigation of the influence of solvent residue and support type on the topography and roughness of the PMMA films before and after UV-irradiation of 254 nm wavelength. It was found that, besides information on sample morphology, AFM provides valuable details on polymer-support interactions.