Characterization of Polymerized Layer of Alkylsilane on Surfaces of Silica Filler Materials by Force Spectroscopic Measurements Using Atomic Force Microscope

Abstract

We demonstrated the characterization of silica filler materials by force spectroscopic measurements using an atomic force microscope. Our measurement revealed the local thickness distribution of a film of polymerized alkylsilane around silica colloids at nanometer resolution. In addition, our method enabled us to monitor the changes in the thickness distribution after chemical treatment of the materials. These findings cannot be obtained with other popular surface analytical techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Our analytical approach is expected to contribute to the evaluation of local distributions of polymeric materials and nanoparticles and to the design of new filler materials in the future.