DYNAMIC INVESTIGATION OF POLYMERIC MATERIALS- REPRODUCIBLE DATA ACQUISITION AND PROFOUND MECHANICAL ANALYSIS

The investigation of the mechanical properties of surfaces has attracted increasing attention over the last decades. At the same time, miniaturization of mechanical devices such as MEMS- micro-electro-mechanical-systems- has reached nanoscale dimensions. By means of the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), the mechanical properties at these lengthscales can be accessed. Theories and simulations describing these nano-mechanics, however, are not yet conclusive. The reliable and reproducible acquisition of AFM data has often been doubted, since the calculated results of the measurements did not fully comply with the results from macroscopic experiments. The AFM, however, is able to determine the mechanical behavior of surfaces reproducibly if the apparatus is calibrated thoroughly before and after the measurements are taken. With the Digital Pulsed Force Mode (DPFM) technique, it is possible to access the entire spectrum of sample dynamics and indentation behavior. Using a commercial setup and AFM tips, the mechanical properties of a dewetting polymer mixture of styrene-butadiene-rubber (SBR) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) have been investigated. From the experiments, a recipe for the reliable acquisition of AFM data has bee