Miniaturization of devices and control of interfacial properties draw the modern research towards nanoscopic objects and low-dimensional systems such as single molecules and molecular layers.

We investigate the behavior of single molecules on surfaces. Using scanning force microscopy (SFM), an intriguing opportunity is provided to visualize individual molecules and to probe their properties. The molecular visualization allows in-situ monitoring of the conformation and motion of polymer molecules on solid surfaces under different environments. Additional information about the structure-properties relation are extracted from deformation and adhesion studies of individual molecules. To this end, we attempt to discover new functional properties of polymers and to construct devices with single molecules.

Complementary to single- molecule behavior, we address molecular mechanisms of macroscopic processes, which take place at interfaces, e.g. crystallization and wetting. This research is focused on surface properties of thin polymer films and patterning of solid surfaces on a sub 100 nm scale for photonic applications. Here, we are particularly interested in the properties of hyperbranched macromolecules, such as dendrimers and cylindrical brushes.