Characterization of single synthetic polymers via magnetic tweezers

Abstract

Due to the ability to perform the parallel measurement of multiple single chains and exert precise control over stretching force in the sub‐nanonewton regime, magnetic tweezers (MT) are a suitable tool to study the individual chain conformations and inherent behaviors of polymers. Herein, we examined the applications of MT in studying single synthetic polymers, distinct from previous reviews focusing on biological polymers such as DNAs. We first presented an overview of the technical aspects of MT, including the imaging setup, the algorithm of three‐dimensional single particle tracking, the configuration of magnets, the calibration and control of magnetic forces, the assembly of flow cells, and the polymer tethering methods. Then, we discussed selected examples highlighting the utilization of MT in studying the chain conformation, mechanical properties, ion and ligands effect, regime transition mechanism, and polymerization dynamics of single synthetic polymers. We envision that MT can serve as a powerful toolbox for delving into the structure–property correlations at the single chain level, which provides quantitative validations for building the theoretical models of synthetic polymers. In the end, we contemplated potential avenues and opportunities for future research in this domain.