Polymeric stabilisers are often used in the preparation of emulsions and dispersions of particles. The purpose of this additive is to help keep the mixture stable so that it can be prepared, transported, stored and eventually used. The polymer must prevent collisions between emulsion droplets or nanoparticles; however, the actual structures of the polymer in the region between the two colliding surfaces are completely unknown. We have recently shown that the inter-surface structures of polymer brushes is not well described by existing osmotic pressure models and that raises the question of whether the traditional picture of adsorbed polymeric stabilisers is correct. We aim to probe adsorbed polymeric layers to determine how easily they collapse and measure the structures involved in the stabilisation of the surfaces.