Title

Effects Of Solvent Vapor Pressure And Spin-Coating Speed On Morphology Of Thin Polymer Blend Films

Keywords

Acoustic microscopy; Atomic force microscopy; Morphology; Polymer blends; Thin films

Abstract

Thin films of polystyrene (PS)/polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) blends were made by casting from solutions with solvents of varying vapor pressure. Solvents used were chloroform, toluene and dichloromethane. Spin coating was carried out at varying speeds yielding films of different thickness. Atomic force microscopy and phase-sensitive acoustic microscopy were used to investigate the effects of spin speed and solvent vapor pressure on morphology. The domains formed due to lateral phase separation proved to be strongly influenced by vapor pressure with completely different surface structures for the three solvents. The films cast from high vapor pressure solutions displayed an increased surface roughness. Surface morphology is explained by the relative solubility in the different solvents, surface affinity, spin speed and viscosity.

Publication Date

6-2-2008

Publication Title

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

Volume

6935

Number of Pages

-

Document Type

Article; Proceedings Paper

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1117/12.776274

Socpus ID

44349178658 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/44349178658

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