Dresden 2009 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 39: POSTERS Colloids and Liquids

CPP 39.27: Poster

Thursday, March 26, 2009, 17:00–19:30, P3

Adhesion Properties of Polymer Microbubbles studied by AFM and RICM — •Melanie Pretzl, Paulo Fernandes, and Andreas Fery — Universitätsstraße 30, Universität Bayreuth

Air filled polymer microbubbles are interesting devices for medical applications, they can be used as ultrasound contrast agents and for local drug delivery [1]. To improve their diagnostic and therapeutic properties it is important to understand and control their interactions with the surrounding tissue.

We investigated the adhesion properties of these novel medical devices in detail with a colloidal probe-AFM set up, that was used in combination with an inverted optical microscope. The optical microscope was used during the measurements in the RICM mode, reflection interference contrast microscopy mode. This technique enabled us to determine the change in the contact area between individual microbubbles and test substrate in dependence on varying applied external forces [2]. First results indicate that the increase of the contact area with rising external forces is also dependent on the microbubble size, the shell thickness and the air/water content of the particles. We analyzed the system also in terms of temperatures and pH.

[1.]*F. Cavalieri, I. Finelli, M. Tortora, P. Mozetic, E. Chiessi, F. Polizio, T. Brismar, G. Paradossi, Chemistry of Materials 2008, 20, (10), 3254-3258.

[2.]*Dubreuil, F.; Elsner, N.; Fery, A., European Physical Journal E 2003, 12, (2), 215-221.