When two thin soft elastomeric films are separated from each other, an elastic instability develops at the interface. Although similar instability develops for the case of a soft film separating from a rigid adherent, there are important differences in the two cases. For the single-film case, the wavelength of instability is independent of any material properties of the system, and it scales on...

Experimental results for adhesive contacts on substrates coated with elastomeric thin films have recently been obtained by C. Tardivat and L. Léger (J. Adhesion Sci. Technol. 15 10551078 (2001)) by the so-called JKR test, which provides both adhesion energy and elastic modulus. These data show that on substrates coated with thin films the adhesion and effective elastic modulus of the sphere dep...

We investigate the question of stability of a solid thin film which experiences external interactions such as van der Waals forces from a contacting surface or forces from an external electric field. Both perfectly elastic and viscoelastic material behaviours are considered in linear stability analysis performed here. These analyses indicate that for sufficiently soft (shear modulus between 1 a...

In this investigation, MoSx/Cr coatings were deposited by direct-current magnetron sputter onto Ck45 (AISI 1045) plain carbon steel substrates. The MoSx/Cr ratio in the coatings was controlled by sputtering the composite targets. The chemical characterization was performed using EDX (energy dispersive X-ray analysis); the structural characterization was accomplished by X-ray diffraction (XRD) s...

AbstractSputtered MoS2 coatings have been mostly used as a solid lubricant. In this investigation, MoSx/Ni composite coatings with Ni contents varying from 0 to 22 % were deposited onto steel substrate using a DC magnetron sputter process. The MoS2/Ni ratio in the coatings was controlled by sputtering the composite targets. The composition, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the...

The properties of thin polymer films are known to be different than the properties of bulk polymers. Both dewetting studies1,2 and temperature-dependent thickness measurements3 showed that thin polystyrene films can exhibit polymer mobility even at temperatures well below that of the bulk-polymer glass transition (Tg). Subsequent work by a wide range of groups has shown that the thermal propert...