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Published on: January 22, 2020
Determination of the Shear Modulus of Thin Polymer Films with a Quartz Crystal Microbalance: Application to UV-Curing
Judith Petri1, Diethelm Johannsmann1
1Institute of Physical Chemistry , Clausthal University of Technology , 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld , Germany.
Abstract:
The photoinduced curing of a light-sensitive varnish was followed, based on a change of the film's shear modulus, G, as determined with a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The film thickness was in the range of a few hundred nanometers. Both the storage modulus, G', and the loss modulus, G″, were obtained. The analysis is based on a perturbation calculation. The equations differ from the more commonly used set of equations derived from the small-load approximation and the acoustic multilayer formalism (sometimes termed Voigt-model). The discussion revisits assumptions, accuracy, and limits of the technique. Critical to the analysis is a knowledge of the thickness of the electrode underneath the film.
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