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. 2020 Jan 6;12(1):133. doi: 10.3390/polym12010133

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© 2020 by the authors.

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Atomic force microscopy analysis of PEMs. (a) Surfaces of PEMs before or after treating different voltages for 1 h. (b) Surfaces of PEMs in aqueous environments with or without electrical field treatment for 1 or 2 h. Roughness averages (Ra) were also determined (n = 3, and t-test compared to the 0 V group, * p < 0.05) (c) The explanation scheme of surface roughness after vertically electrical field treatment. Entanglement of polyelectolytes caused uneven charge distribution, and these unstable regions were susceptible to electrical fields to demonstrated quick release. In addition, the thinner regions became closer to the electrode, which thus were released faster to eventually form bumps and nanoparticles on the PEM surfaces.

Atomic force microscopy analysis of PEMs. (a) Surfaces of PEMs before or after treating different voltages for 1 h. (b) Surfaces of PEMs in aqueous environments with or without electrical field treatment for 1 or 2 h. Roughness averages (Ra) were also determined (n = 3, and t-test compared to the 0 V group, * p < 0.05) (c) The explanation scheme of surface roughness after vertically electrical field treatment. Entanglement of polyelectolytes caused uneven charge distribution, and these unstable regions were susceptible to electrical fields to demonstrated quick release. In addition, the thinner regions became closer to the electrode, which thus were released faster to eventually form bumps and nanoparticles on the PEM surfaces.