Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee have managed to shed light on the mechanism of polymer self-assembly in the oil-water interface. Researchers used a small polymer variant called oligomer and surface spectroscopy methods to examine the molecular monolayer formed between water and oil. The main motive of the research was to analyze how the irregularity in the oil-water interface causes species to adsorb differently. The research provides new insights on how the molecules arrange themselves into “tunable” interfaces, monolayer thick surfaces with structures that can be altered for specific functionalities.