Aging of Thin Polymer Films Cast from a Near-Theta Solvent

Adam Raegen, Mithun Chowdhury, Christophe Calers, Alexander Schmatulla, Ullrich Steiner, and Günter Reiter
Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 227801 – Published 23 November 2010

Abstract

We have examined the aging behavior of spin-cast thin polymer films as a function of their processing history. Films prepared from solutions close to the Θ temperature were aged for varying times at room temperature, followed by a dewetting experiment above the glass transition temperature of the polymer. The characteristic aging time varied strongly with the quality of the solvent, which is attributed to distorted chain conformations in the as-cast films. This is an indication for the nonequilibrium nature of thin polymer films, possibly causing some of their unexplained properties.

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  • Received 31 August 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.227801

© 2010 The American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Adam Raegen1,2, Mithun Chowdhury1, Christophe Calers1, Alexander Schmatulla1, Ullrich Steiner2,3,*, and Günter Reiter1,2,†

  • 1Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Physikalisches Institut, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
  • 2Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
  • 3Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom

  • *u.steiner@phy.cam.ac.uk
  • guenter.reiter@physik.uni-freiburg.de

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Issue

Vol. 105, Iss. 22 — 26 November 2010

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