Kinetics of thin polymer film rupture: Model experiments for a better understanding of layer breakups in the multilayer coextrusion process

International audienceis an open access repository that collects the work of Arts et Métiers ParisTech researchers and makes it freely available over the web where possible. This is an author-deposited version published in: https://sam.ensam.eu Handle ID: .http://hdl.handle.net/10985/16016 To cite this version : Yann ZHU, Adrien BIRONEAU, Frédéric RESTAGNO, Cyrille SOLLOGOUB, Guillaume MIQUELARD-GARNIER-Kinetics of thin polymer film rupture: Model experiments for a better understanding of layer breakups in the multilayer coextrusion process-Polymer a b s t r a c t We show that the kinetics of bursting of a thin film embedded in another polymer matrix can be well described by a simple equation balancing the viscous and capillary forces. The role of viscosity, interfacial tension and thickness of the layers under static conditions was investigated by adapting a simple model experiment initially designed to study the dewetting of a thin polymer film on another polymer sub-strate. Kinetics was correlated to instabilities occurring during multilayer coextrusion leading to the break-up of layers below a critical nanometric thickness. The results suggest that shear and elongation forces during the process actually stabilize the layers. Understanding these instabilities is of great interest since this innovative process showed potential to design at an industrial scale macromolecular materials displaying new macroscopic properties, due to interfacial and confinement effects. However, instabilities leading to the breaking of these nanometric layers will alter final properties (optical, gas barrier …)