Adhesion induced mesoscale instability patterns in thin PDMS-metal bilayers

Pangule, Ravindra C. ; Banerjee, Indrani ; Sharma, Ashutosh (2008) Adhesion induced mesoscale instability patterns in thin PDMS-metal bilayers The Journal of Chemical Physics, 128 (23). 234708_11-234708_6. ISSN 0021-9606

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Official URL: http://jcp.aip.org/resource/1/jcpsa6/v128/i23/p234...

Related URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.2940330

Abstract

We show that the surface of a thin elastomer-metal (aluminum) hybrid bilayer becomes spontaneously patterned when brought in adhesive contact with a rigid surface. The self-organized surface patterns show three distinct morphological phases-columns, labyrinths, and holes-depending on the area of contact. The characteristic wavelength of these patterns is found to be 2.94±0.20 times the total film thickness, independent of the morphological phase and the surface properties of the contacting surface. Interestingly, the metal films 60-120 nm thick showed the same scaling, but the bilayers with thicker metal films were completely stable. This observation demonstrates for the first time a "hard" transition to the instability as the elastic stiffness of the film is varied. We also report a protocol for alignment of the instability patterns and for transferring the metal patterns to another surface.

Item Type:Article
Source:Copyright of this article belongs to American Institute of Physics.
Keywords:Adhesion; Aluminium; Elasticity; Elastomers; Metallic Thin Films; Multilayers; Organic-inorganic Hybrid Materials; Pattern Formation; Polymer Films; Self-assembly; Surface Structure
ID Code:46968
Deposited On:06 Jul 2011 11:02
Last Modified:06 Jul 2011 11:02

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