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Article
A novel nano-bubble inflation method for determining the viscoelastic properties of ultrathin polymer films
Article first published online: 1 FEB 2008
DOI: 10.1002/sca.20088
Copyright © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Issue
Scanning
Special Issue: Scanning Probe Microscopy
Volume 30, Issue 2, pages 184–196, March/April 2008
Additional Information
How to Cite
O'connell, P. A. and McKenna, G. B. (2008), A novel nano-bubble inflation method for determining the viscoelastic properties of ultrathin polymer films. Scanning, 30: 184–196. doi: 10.1002/sca.20088
Publication History
- Issue published online: 4 APR 2008
- Article first published online: 1 FEB 2008
- Manuscript Accepted: 27 NOV 2007
- Manuscript Received: 27 SEP 2007
Funded by
- John R. Bradford Endowment at Texas Tech
- The National Science Foundation. Grant Number: DMR-0304640
- The U.S. Army Research Office. Grant Number: W911NF-04-1-0207 and W911NF-07-1-0418
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- glass transition;
- atomic force microscopy;
- viscoelastic properties;
- polymers;
- ultra thin films
Abstract
We describe a novel experimental technique for measuring the absolute creep compliance of ultrathin polymer films. The method is based on the classical bubble inflation technique for measuring the biaxial creep compliance of films, reduced in size to measure films with thicknesses down to at least 11.3 nm. The method uses the imaging capabilities of the atomic force microscope (AFM) to determine the time evolution of the geometry of nano-bubbles and thus avoids the problems with data interpretation that can arise due to “contact mechanics” issues when the AFM is used as a direct mechanical testing device. SCANNING 30: 000–000, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.