ADSORPTION OF A NOVEL FLUORESCENT DERIVATIVE OF A POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE) POLY(BUTYLENE OXIDE) BLOCK-COPOLYMER ON OCTADECYL GLASS STUDIED BY TOTAL INTERNAL-REFLECTION FLUORESCENCE AND INTERFEROMETRY/

We have used total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) to measure the adsorption kinetics of a newly synthesized fluorescent derivative of a triblock copolymer comprising two poly(ethylene oxide) arms conne cted by a poly(butylene oxide) segment. The composition is (EO)(400) ( BO)(55) (EO)(400), in which EO represents ethylene oxide, BO represent s butylene oxide, and one or both of the terminal OH groups of the two (EO)(400) arms are labeled with tetramethylrhodamine. The poly(butyle ne oxide) segment binds to hydrophobic octadecyl glass, used as a subs tratum. The TIRF signal is shown to be derived almost entirely from su rface-adsorbed polymer. This facilitates calculation of adsorption iso therms from 0.1-0.005% bulk polymer solution by means of diffusion kin etics. Information about the effective thickness of the adsorbed polym er, determined by optical interference microscopy, corresponds with wh at is known about the conformation of similar molecules at interfaces and indicates monolayer adsorption on the glass. (C) 1994 John Wiley a nd Sons, Inc.