We have experimentally investigated the solvent-induced dewetting characteristics of thin polymer films in the presence of mechanical vibration. The effect of sinusoidal vibration on the solvent-induced dewetting of polystyrene thin films of various thicknesses was studied. It was observed that the presence of vibration enhances the kinetics of the dewetting compare to the classical solvent-induced dewetting. Reorganization of the assembly of molecules using dewetting is a well-known phenomenon. Technological applications of functional materials require a robust range of control over size-dependent chemical and physical properties including spatial arrangement of molecules over a substrate. The physics behind conventional thermal or solvent-induced dewetting is well established. The rims surrounding the holes gradually merge due to the growth of the holes and form voronoi tessalation like structures by the narrow polymer ribbons. These ribbons disintegrate due to Rayleigh Plateau instability and form droplets having a characteristic length scale. The presence of vibration induces extra pressure that results in faster kinetics of the dewetting. A theoretical analysis of acoustic vibration-induced dewetting was presented earlier by Schäffer et. al.

Effect of vibration on spontaneous dewetting morphology, kinetics and self-assembly of thin polymer films

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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