Polymers with electrolyte groups or “polyelectrolytes” have been the subject of intense study for the past few decades due to characteristics such as anti-fouling and underwater adhesion. Because of their charged nature, however, polyanions and polycations will complex in aqueous solutions forming dense unprocessable precipitates. In an attempt to leverage...
The measurement of weak adhesive energies has previously been difficult to obtain. To measure these energies, I designed a technique that uses the combined sensitivities of both a quartz crystal resonator and the inflation of an elastomeric polymer membrane. The surfaces of the quartz crystal and/or the membrane are modified...