Formation of self-organized anisotropic polymer structures by confined dynamic instability.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Kwon, S. Joon
- Source
- Journal of Applied Physics. 3/15/2006, Vol. 99 Issue 6, p063503. 7p. 2 Diagrams, 3 Graphs.
- Subject
- *MACROMOLECULES
*POLYMERS
*THIN films
*SOLID state electronics
*SURFACE waves (Fluids)
*FLUID dynamics
*SURFACE energy
- Language
- ISSN
- 0021-8979
We report on the formation of self-organized anisotropic structures of the polymer thin films induced by the wave interaction-driven dynamic instability confined by corrugated elastomeric molds. In the initial stage of the morphological instability, self-organized anisotropic structures such as a regularly undulated surface wave pattern formed on the ridge followed by the formation of a highly ordered array of droplets on the wall and a surface wave on the groove. The self-organization in the initial stage is dominated by the formation of the surface wave on the ridge accompanying a period of half the first harmonic wavelength of the mold corrugation. In the final stage of the instability, undulated polymer structure on the ridge is transformed into a periodic array of droplets with the first harmonic wavelength of the mold corrugation, while the undulation in the polymer layer on the groove is nearly sustained. The self-organized anisotropic polymer structures can provide simpler methods of fabricating complicated three-dimensional polymeric structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]