2.5. Thin Film Polymer Characterization

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) served to characterize the polymer surfaces and the thickness of the thin film polymer, respectively. Polymer films were synthesized on clean round glass substrates with a 6 mm diameter, matching the microplate well diameter. Surfaces of the HSA-MIP before and after removing the HSA template and of the NIP were then assessed by AFM using an Asylum Research MFP-3D-BIO in tapping mode with a silicon cantilever (Type Olympus AC160TS) at 1 Hz scan rate. FEI/Apreo SEM was operated at 5 kV to investigate the layer height of each layer on the round glass substrate. All samples were sputter coated with a thin layer of Au before SEM imaging.