Recent advances in polymers at surfaces: The steric effect

New experimental techniques have recently been developed to determine the effect of polymers at interfaces. These methods, largely based on neutron reflectivity, shearing experiments with the surface forces apparatus and colloidal probe techniques for measuring particle interactions, have, by and large, not yet produced a large quantity of excellent data. It is likely that these methods will be improved over the next decade, and that these improvements will enhance our understanding of dispersed systems.