Dewetting near the glass transition: transition from a capillary force dominated to a dissipation dominated regime

Evaluating Free Thermal Expansion and Glass Transition of Ultrathin Polymer Films on Heated Liquid

Thermomechanical properties of ultrathin films are crucial for fabrication and use of reliable thin electronic devices. Due to the lack of precise measurement techniques, the thermal deformation behavior of ultrathin films has not yet been clarified. Here, we propose a film on heated liquid (FOHL) method to simultaneously measure the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and glass transition temperature (Tg) of multiple ultrathin polymer films. Free thermal expansion of thin films without substrate interaction can be guaranteed when the thin films are afloat on a liquid surface. To investigate the thermal behavior in a wide temperature range, glycerol is adopted as a thermally stable heating platform owing to its high boiling point of 290 °C. The thin films are transferred onto the glycerol surface from the water surface using the hygroscopic properties of glycerol. Highly accurate and high-throughput thermal strain measurement is achieved using three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC). The thermomechanical properties of ultrathin polystyrene thin films of various thicknesses (25-400 nm) are precisely characterized utilizing the FOHL and 3D-DIC method.

Signatures of slip in dewetting polymer films

Thin polymer films on hydrophobic substrates are susceptible to rupture and hole formation. This, in turn, initiates a complex dewetting process, which ultimately leads to characteristic droplet patterns. Experimental and theoretical studies suggest that the type of droplet pattern depends on the specific interfacial condition between the polymer and the substrate. Predicting the morphological evolution over long timescales and on the different length scales involved is a major computational challenge. In this study, a highly adaptive numerical scheme is presented, which allows for following the dewetting process deep into the nonlinear regime of the model equations and captures the complex dynamics, including the shedding of droplets. In addition, our numerical results predict the previously unknown shedding of satellite droplets during the destabilization of liquid ridges that form during the late stages of the dewetting process. While the formation of satellite droplets is well known in the context of elongating fluid filaments and jets, we show here that, for dewetting liquid ridges, this property can be dramatically altered by the interfacial condition between polymer and substrate, namely slip. This work shows how dissipative processes can be used to systematically tune the formation of patterns.

Glass transition of polymers in bulk, confined geometries, and near interfaces

When cooled or pressurized, polymer melts exhibit a tremendous reduction in molecular mobility. If the process is performed at a constant rate, the structural relaxation time of the liquid eventually exceeds the time allowed for equilibration. This brings the system out of equilibrium, and the liquid is operationally defined as a glass-a solid lacking long-range order. Despite almost 100 years of research on the (liquid/)glass transition, it is not yet clear which molecular mechanisms are responsible for the unique slow-down in molecular dynamics. In this review, we first introduce the reader to experimental methodologies, theories, and simulations of glassy polymer dynamics and vitrification. We then analyse the impact of connectivity, structure, and chain environment on molecular motion at the length scale of a few monomers, as well as how macromolecular architecture affects the glass transition of non-linear polymers. We then discuss a revised picture of nanoconfinement, going beyond a simple picture based on interfacial interactions and surface/volume ratio. Analysis of a large body of experimental evidence, results from molecular simulations, and predictions from theory supports, instead, a more complex framework where other parameters are relevant. We focus discussion specifically on local order, free volume, irreversible chain adsorption, the Debye-Waller factor of confined and confining media, chain rigidity, and the absolute value of the vitrification temperature. We end by highlighting the molecular origin of distributions in relaxation times and glass transition temperatures which exceed, by far, the size of a chain. Fast relaxation modes, almost universally present at the free surface between polymer and air, are also remarked upon. These modes relax at rates far larger than those characteristic of glassy dynamics in bulk. We speculate on how these may be a signature of unique relaxation processes occurring in confined or heterogeneous polymeric systems.

Transient Cooperative Processes in Dewetting Polymer Melts

We compare the high velocity dewetting behavior, at elevated temperatures, of atactic polystyrene (aPS) and isotactic polystyrene (iPS) films, with the zero shear bulk viscosity (η_{bulk}) of aPS being approximately ten times larger than iPS. As expected, for aPS the apparent viscosity of the films (η_{f}) derived from high-shear dewetting is less than η_{bulk}, displaying a shear thinning behavior. Surprisingly, for iPS films, η_{f} is always larger than η_{bulk}, even at about 50 °C above the melting point, with η_{f}/η_{bulk} following an Arrhenius behavior. The corresponding activation energy of ∼160±10  kJ/mol for iPS films suggests a cooperative motion of segments which are aligned and agglomerated by fast dewetting.

Instability, self-organization and pattern formation in thin soft films

The free surface of a thin soft polymer film is often found to become unstable and self-organizes into various meso-scale structures. In this article we classify the instability of a thin polymer film into three broad categories, which are: category 1: instability of an ultra-thin (<100 nm) viscous film engendered by amplification of thermally excited surface capillary waves due to interfacial dispersive van der Waals forces; category 2: instability arising from the attractive inter-surface interactions between the free surface of a soft film exhibiting room temperature elasticity and another rigid surface in its contact proximity; and category 3: instability caused by an externally applied field such as an electric field or a thermal gradient, observed in both viscous and elastic films. We review the salient features of each instability class and highlight how characteristic length scales, feature morphologies, evolution pathways, etc. depend on initial properties such as film thickness, visco-elasticity (rheology), residual stress, and film preparation conditions. We emphasize various possible strategies for aligning and ordering of the otherwise isotropic structures by combining the essential concepts of bottom-up and top-down approaches. A perspective, including a possible future direction of research, novelty and limitations of the methods, particularly in comparison to the existing patterning techniques, is also presented for each setting.

Influence of slip on the Rayleigh-Plateau rim instability in dewetting viscous films

A dewetting viscous film develops a characteristic fluid rim at its receding edge due to mass conservation. In the course of the dewetting process, the rim becomes unstable via an instability of Rayleigh-Plateau type. An important difference exists between this classic instability of a liquid column and the rim instability in a thin film as the growth of the rim is continuously fueled by the receding film. We explain how the development and macroscopic morphology of the rim instability are controlled by the slip of the film on the substrate. A single thin-film model captures quantitatively the characteristics of the complete evolution of the rim observed in the experiments.

Dewetting properties of metallic liquid film on nanopillared graphene

In this work, we report simulation evidence that the graphene surface decorated by carbon nanotube pillars shows strong dewettability, which can give it great advantages in dewetting and detaching metallic nanodroplets on the surfaces. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations show that the ultrathin liquid film first contracts then detaches from the graphene on a time scale of several nanoseconds, as a result of the inertial effect. The detaching velocity is in the order of 10 m/s for the droplet with radii smaller than 50 nm. Moreover, the contracting and detaching behaviors of the liquid film can be effectively controlled by tuning the geometric parameters of the liquid film or pillar. In addition, the temperature effects on the dewetting and detaching of the metallic liquid film are also discussed. Our results show that one can exploit and effectively control the dewetting properties of metallic nanodroplets by decorating the surfaces with nanotube pillars.

Slip effects in polymer thin films

Probing the fluid dynamics of thin films is an excellent tool for studying the solid/liquid boundary condition. There is no need for external stimulation or pumping of the liquid, due to the fact that the dewetting process, an internal mechanism, acts as a driving force for liquid flow. Viscous dissipation, within the liquid, and slippage balance interfacial forces. Thus, friction at the solid/liquid interface plays a key role towards the flow dynamics of the liquid. Probing the temporal and spatial evolution of growing holes or retracting straight fronts gives, in combination with theoretical models, information on the liquid flow field and, especially, the boundary condition at the interface. We review the basic models and experimental results obtained during the last several years with exclusive regard to polymers as ideal model liquids for fluid flow. Moreover, concepts that aim to explain slippage on the molecular scale are summarized and discussed.

Reduced interfacial entanglement density affects the boundary conditions of polymer flow

Hydrodynamic boundary conditions play a crucial role in the flow dynamics of thin films and can be probed by the analysis of liquid front profiles. For long-chained polymer films it was reported that a deviation from a symmetric profile is a result of viscoelastic effects. In this Letter, however, evidence is given that merely a slip-boundary condition at the solid-liquid interface can lead to an asymmetric profile. Variation of molecular weight shows that slippage is directly linked to chain entanglements. We find a reduced entanglement density at the solid-liquid interface (factors 3 to 4), which stresses the importance of considering nonbulk polymer properties in the vicinity of an interface.

Dewetting dynamics of stressed viscoelastic thin polymer films

Ultrathin polymer films that are produced, e.g., by spin coating are believed to be stressed since polymers are "frozen in" into out-of-equilibrium configurations during this process. In the framework of a viscoelastic thin-film model, we study the effects of lateral residual stresses on the dewetting dynamics of the film. The temporal evolution of the height profiles and the velocity profiles inside the film as well as the dissipation mechanisms are investigated in detail. Both the shape of the profiles and the importance of frictional dissipation vs viscous dissipation inside the film are found to change in the course of dewetting. The interplay of the nonstationary profiles, the relaxing initial stress, and the changes in the dominance of the two dissipation mechanisms caused by nonlinear friction with the substrate is responsible for the rich behavior of the system. In particular, our analysis sheds a different light on the occurrence of the unexpected maximum in the rim width obtained recently in experiments on polystyrene-polydimethylsiloxane systems.

Reversibility of pH-induced dewetting of poly(vinyl pyridine) thin films on silicon oxide substrate

Thin PVP films deposited on a silicon oxide surface have been found to form a dewetting pattern when treated with basic solutions (pH > or = 10). We studied the dependence of pattern morphology on the polymer's molecular weight and thickness of the polymer layer, and observed the formation of three distinctive structures. The structure formed by large drops of polymer is characteristic of a polymer with low molecular weight and the thinnest polymer layer, whereas other samples form holes or a weblike pattern upon dewetting. These experiments have demonstrated for the first time the reversibility of the dewetting process in a liquid environment. The polymer layer has revealed reversible behavior toward flat film when exposed to a pH 4 buffer solution. More complex structures can be obtained by consecutive treatments with acidic (pH 4) and basic (pH 10) solutions. We used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study both the morphology and elastic properties of polymers in media with different acidity, in order to determine the mechanism behind the dewetting process.

Slippage of Newtonian liquids: influence on the dynamics of dewetting thin films

Slippage of Newtonian liquids in the presence of a solid substrate is a newly found phenomenon, the origin of which is still under debate. In this article, we present a new analysis method to extract the slip length. Enhancing the slip of liquids is an important issue for microfluidic devices that demand for high throughput at low pumping power. We study the velocity of short-chained liquid polystyrene (PS) films dewetting from nonwettable solid substrates. We show how the dynamics of dewetting is influenced by slippage, and we compare the results of two types of substrates that give rise to different slip lengths. As substrates, Si wafers that have been coated with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) or dodecyltrichlorosilane (DTS) were used. Our results demonstrate that the dewetting velocity for PS films on DTS is significantly larger than on OTS and that this difference originates from the different slip lengths of the liquid on top of the two surfaces. For PS films of thickness between 130 and 230 nm, we find slip lengths between 400 nm and 6 microm, depending on substrate and temperature.

Nonsolvent-induced dewetting of thin polymer films

The process of nonsolvent-induced dewetting of thin polystyrene (PS) films on hydrophilic surfaces at room temperature has been studied by using water as a nonsolvent. It is observed that the process of nonsolvent-induced dewetting is greatly different from other previous dewetting processes. The PS film is found in nonviscous state in our study. A mechanism of nonsolvent-induced dewetting is deduced in an order of penetration, replacement, and coalescent, and it is different from other previous dewetting mechanisms. The results of experiments are analyzed from thermodynamics and dynamics to support the hypothetical mechanism.

Dewetting and surface properties of ultrathin films of cellulose esters

Surface properties of ultrathin films of cellulose esters deposited onto silicon wafers have been investigated by means of contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Cellulose acetate (CA), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), and cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) films adsorbed or spin-coated onto Si wafers were annealed up to one week. Film stability was monitored by AFM. Dewetting has been observed for CA and CAP. Only CAB films with lower degree of esterification presented dewetting, CAB films with high degree of butyrate were stable even after one week annealing. Surface energy of CA, CAP, and CAB was indirectly determined by contact angle measurements using drops of water, formamide and diiodomethane. The surface energy decreased as the size of alkyl ester group or the degree of esterification increased because van der Waals interactions became weaker. Effective Hamaker constant A(eff) was calculated for CA, CAP, and CAB onto Si wafers in air. Negative values of A(eff) were found for CA, CAP, and lower butyrate content CAB, which are related to instability and agree with dewetting phenomena observed by AFM. In contrast, a positive A(eff) was determined for higher butyrate content CAB, corroborating with experimental observations.

Relaxation of residual stress and reentanglement of polymers in spin-coated films

Performing detailed studies of viscoelastic dewetting of thin polystyrene films on solid substrates, we demonstrate the existence of residual stress due to strongly out of equilibrium chain conformations and a reduced entanglement density resulting from film preparation by spin coating. The ratio of stress over elastic modulus was found to increase strongly with decreasing film thickness and increasing chain length. Full equilibration of chain conformations required long times comparable to bulk reptation times. However, for chains longer than about 3000 monomers, the residual stress relaxed faster, at a rate independent of chain length.

Pattern-directed to isotropic dewetting transition in polymer films on micropatterned surfaces with differential surface energy contrast

Surface chemical patterns can both cause and direct dewetting in overlying thin polymer films. In this paper we focus on a key factor in this phenomenon, the magnitude of the surface energy difference between surface pattern domains (Δ). To probe the influence of Δ on film dewetting, we utilize novel combinatorial test patterns exhibiting a gradient in Δ. Specifically, our test patterns consist of a series of micron-scale striped regions that continuously change in their surface energy () relative to background striped regions having a fixed and calibrated . Using polystyrene (PS) films as a demonstration case, we employ these test patterns to quantify the morphology and kinetics of dewetting as Δ diminishes. Our study indicates a transition from pattern-directed to isotropic PS dewetting at critical Δ values. For Δ > 14 mJ m, ordered droplet arrays are formed, while for Δ < 7 mJ m, the dewetting is isotropic. A competition between these limiting behaviors is found for a "crossover regime", 7 mJ m < Δ < 14 mJ m. These combinatorial test patterns provide a powerful approach for investigating the large number of parameters that govern the stability of ultrathin polymer films, and the physical factors that influence the dewetted film morphology.

Dynamics of dewetting at the nanoscale using molecular dynamics

Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations are used to model the dewetting of solid surfaces by partially wetting thin liquid films. Two levels of solid-liquid interaction are considered that give rise to large equilibrium contact angles. The initial length and thickness of the films are varied over a wide range at the nanoscale. Spontaneous dewetting is initiated by removing a band of molecules either from each end of the film or from its center. As observed experimentally and in previous simulations, the films recede at an initially constant speed, creating a growing rim of liquid with a constant receding dynamic contact angle. Consistent with the current understanding of wetting dynamics, film recession is faster on the more poorly wetted surface to an extent that cannot be explained solely by the increase in the surface tension driving force. In addition, the rates of recession of the thinnest films are found to increase with decreasing film thickness. These new results imply not only that the mobility of the liquid molecules adjacent to the solid increases with decreasing solid-liquid interactions, but also that the mobility adjacent to the free surface of the film is higher than in the bulk, so that the effective viscosity of the film decreases with thickness.

Dewetting of thin polymer films

We study the dewetting of thin polymer films deposited on slippery substrate. Recent experiments on these systems have revealed many unexpected features. We develop here a model that takes into account the rheological properties of polymer melts, focussing on two dewetting geometries (the receding of a straight edge, and the opening of a hole). We show that the friction law associated with the slippage between the film and the substrate has a direct influence on the dewetting dynamic. In addition, we demonstrate that residual stresses, which can be stored in the films due to their viscoelasticity, are a source of destabilization for polymer films, and accelerate the dewetting process.

Photoactive additives for cross-linking polymer films: Inhibition of dewetting in thin polymer films

In this report, we describe a versatile photochemical method for cross-linking polymer films and demonstrate that this method can be used to inhibit thin polymer films from dewetting. A bifunctional photoactive molecule featuring two benzophenone chromophores capable of abstracting hydrogen atoms from various donors, including C-H groups, is mixed into PS films. Upon exposure to UV light, the bis-benzophenone molecule cross-links the chains presumably by hydrogen abstraction followed by radical recombination. Photoinduced cross-linking is characterized by infrared spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. Optical and atomic force microscopy images show that photocrosslinked polystyrene (PS) thin films resist dewetting when heated above the glass transition temperature or exposed to solvent vapor. PS films are inhibited from dewetting on both solid and liquid substrates. The effectiveness of the method to inhibit dewetting is studied as a function of the ratio of cross-linker to macromolecule, duration of exposure to UV light, film thickness, the driving force for dewetting, and the thermodynamic nature of the substrate.

Real-time shape evolution of nanoimprinted polymer structures during thermal annealing

The real-time shape evolution of nanoimprinted polymer patterns is measured as a function of annealing time and temperature using critical dimension small-angle X-ray scattering (CD-SAXS). Periodicity, line width, line height, and sidewall angle are reported with nanometer resolution for parallel line/space patterns in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) both below and above the bulk glass transition temperature (T(G)). Heating these patterns below T(G) does not produce significant thermal expansion, at least to within the resolution of the measurement. However, above T(G) the fast rate of loss in pattern size at early times transitions to a reduced rate in longer time regimes. The time-dependent rate of polymer flow from the pattern into the underlying layer, termed pattern "melting", is consistent with a model of elastic recovery from stresses induced by the molding process.

Disentanglement time of polymers determines the onset of rim instabilities in dewetting

Molecular relaxations determine the viscoelastic properties of polymers, which, in turn, control macroscopic processes like dewetting. Here, we demonstrate experimentally that the onset of rim instabilities is correlated with the longest relaxation ("reptation") time of the dewetting polymer. Conversely, such experiments allow us to determine the reptation time of polystyrene in thin films as a function of molecular weight. Our approach opens up new possibilities for testing rheological properties of polymers confined in thin films.

Molecular recoiling in polymer thin film dewetting

The molecular recoiling force stemming from nonequilibrium chain conformation was found to play a very important role in the dewetting stability of polymer thin films. Correct measurements and inclusion of this molecular force into thermodynamic consideration are crucial for analyzing dewetting phenomena and nanoscale polymer chain physics. This force was measured using a simple method based on contour relaxation at the incipient dewetting holes. The recoiling stress was found to increase dramatically with molecular weight and decreasing film thickness. The corresponding forces were calculated to be in the range from 9.0 to 28.2 mN/m, too large to be neglected when compared to the dispersive forces (approximately 10 mN/m) commonly operative in thin polymer films.

Viscoelastic dewetting of a polymer film on a liquid substrate

The Dewetting of thin polymer films (60-300 nm) on a non-wettable liquid substrate has been studied in the vicinity of their glass transition temperature. In our experiment, we observe a global contraction of the film while its thickness remains uniform. We show that, in this case, the strain corresponds to simple extension, and we verify that it is linear with the stress applied by the surface tension. This allows direct measurement of the stress/strain response as a function of time, and thus permits the measurement of an effective compliance of the thin films. It is, however, difficult to obtain a complete viscoelastic characterization, as the short time response is highly dependant on the physical age of the sample. Experimental results underline the effects of residual stress and friction when dewetting is analyzed on rigid substrates.

Residual stresses in thin polymer films cause rupture and dominate early stages of dewetting

In attempting to reduce the size of functional devices, the thickness of polymer films has reached values even smaller than the diameter of the unperturbed molecule. However, despite enormous efforts for more than a decade, our understanding of the origin of some puzzling properties of such thin films is still not satisfactory and several peculiar observations remain mysterious. For example, under certain conditions, such films show negative expansion coefficients or show undesirable rupture although energetically they are expected to be stable. Here, we demonstrate that many of these extraordinary effects can be related to residual stresses within the film, resulting from the preparation of these films from solution by fast evaporation of the solvent. Consequently, depending on thermal history and ageing time, such films show significant changes even in the glassy state, which we quantify by dewetting experiments and corresponding theoretical studies. Identifying the relevance of frozen-in polymer conformations gives us a handle for manipulating and controlling properties of nanometric thin polymer films.

Hole growth in freely standing polystyrene films probed using a differential pressure experiment

We have probed the whole chain mobility of polymer molecules confined to freely standing films by measuring the flow of gas through holes growing in the films at elevated temperatures using a differential pressure experiment. Freely standing polystyrene films were measured for the temperature range 92 degrees C<T<105 degrees C for films with two different molecular weights Mw=717 x 10(3) and 2240 x 10(3) , with thicknesses 51 nm<h<97 nm . This range of film thicknesses is of particular interest because large reductions in the glass transition temperature Tg have been measured previously for freely standing PS films in this thickness range. We find that hole formation and growth, and therefore substantial chain mobility, does not occur until temperatures close to the bulk value of the glass transition temperature T(bulk)g. The characteristic growth times tau for the thinnest films, which have reduced values of Tg, are not substantially less than those for thicker films, and we find that these small differences in tau can be understood in terms of the bulk phenomenon of shear thinning. We also show that the viscosity at the edge of the hole inferred from the characteristic growth times obtained in this and previous studies exhibit shear thinning with reduced shear strain rates beta that span twelve orders of magnitude.

Evidence of convective constraint release during hole growth in freely standing polystyrene films at low temperatures

Hole growth measurements were performed using optical microscopy on freely standing polystyrene films at temperatures that were slightly larger than the bulk value of the glass transition temperature T(bulk)g. For the measured range of temperatures, we have observed a transition from linear growth of the hole radius R during the early stages to exponential growth of R at later times. We have characterized this transition as a function of molecular weight 120 x 10(3) < Mw <2240 x 10(3) , film thickness 61 nm<h<125 nm , and temperature 101 degrees C<T<117 degrees C . The viscosity at the edge of the hole inferred from the long time exponential growth regime exhibits shear thinning due to the large shear strain rates present at the edge of the hole. The R (t) data for all times can be fit very well using an expression that describes exponential hole growth with a time-dependent viscosity that allows for an initial, transient response due to the decay of elastic entanglements. The time scale for the decay of the transient behavior is interpreted in terms of the decay of entanglements by the convective constraint release mechanism of the tube theory of entangled polymer dynamics.

Dynamics of ultrathin films in the glassy state

We report hole growth experiments in free-standing polystyrene (PS) films at temperatures up to 10 degrees C below the bulk glass transition. The data show an unexpected result: the growth rate of nucleated holes increases with increasing molecular weight, up to a limiting value beyond which the rate is approximately constant. Film thicknesses of 45, 80, and 100 nm were studied, using PS molecular weights ranging from 65K to 11.4 Mg/mol. Hole diameters grew linearly with time, and no growing rims were observed to form around the developing holes. Possible explanations in terms of elasticity, yield, and influence of sample preparation and confinement effects are discussed.

Oscillatory wetting instability induced by liquid–liquid decomposition in a Ga–Pb alloy

We present the first experimental investigation and pertinent theoretical modeling of an interfacial oscillatory instability in a binary fluid alloy, the Ga-Pb system. It is characterized by spinodal decomposition at elevated temperatures and by a complete wetting transition at liquid-liquid coexistence. For the alloy Ga(0.95)Pb(0.05) the fluid interface has been probed by second harmonic generation (SHG) under UHV conditions at temperatures between 740 and 550 K. At conditions inside the miscibility gap clear oscillations of the SHG-intensity with a period of approximately 30 min are found for different cooling cycles and also at constant temperatures. These interfacial oscillatory instabilities simultaneously induce temperature oscillations in the bulk fluid with the same period. This phenomenon can be explained by a periodic variation of the fluid interfacial emissivity. A model has been developed which describes the wetting-dewetting dynamics by hydrodynamic equations within the Reynolds approximation. It is found that the interfacial oscillatory instability is determined by capillary-gravitation instability. The model quantitatively describes the time evolution of the interfacial and temperature oscillations and gives the correct value of the oscillation period. A detailed comparison of the experimental and model results is given.