A nanometric cushion for enhancing scratch and wear resistance of hard films

• Katya Gotlib-Vainshtein,
• Olga Girshevitz,
• Chaim N. Sukenik,
• David Barlam and
• Sidney R. Cohen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1005–1015, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.114

• control the scratch resistance of oxide surfaces. Titania films of several nm thickness are coated onto substrates of silicon, kapton, polycarbonate, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The scratch resistance measured by scanning force microscopy is found to be substrate dependent, diminishing in the order

• polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using liquid phase deposition [34][35][36]. In this work, we further apply the technique to polycarbonate (PC) substrates, which are used in the lens industry and carry requirement of scratch/wear resistance. In addition to scratch and wear resistance, we demonstrate that the soft polymer

The optimal shape of elastomer mushroom-like fibers for high and robust adhesion

• Burak Aksak,
• Korhan Sahin and
• Metin Sitti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 630–638, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.74

• fiber arrays, respectively. The derivation of Equation 3 is detailed in Supporting Information File 1. Their experiments were carried out with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) cylindrical and mushroom-like fibers. For cylindrical fibers, a = 10 µm and h = 25 µm. The tip radius for mushroom–like fibers were

Fullerenes as adhesive layers for mechanical peeling of metallic, molecular and polymer thin films

• Maria B. Wieland,
• Anna G. Slater,
• Barry Mangham,
• Neil R. Champness and
• Peter H. Beton

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 394–401, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.46

• onto the gold using a deposition rate of 1 nm/min. The samples were subsequently removed from UHV and a support layer of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with a thickness of ≈1 mm was deposited from solution onto the samples (see the Experimental section). Mechanical peeling of the PDMS layer removes the

Dynamic nanoindentation by instrumented nanoindentation and force microscopy: a comparative review

• Sidney R. Cohen and
• Estelle Kalfon-Cohen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 815–833, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.93

• viscoelastic/plastic deformation, as well as capillary and adhesive forces. The analysis of AFM force–distance curves of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) showed a strong influence of the measurement conditions such as the loading–unloading rate and the dwell time, as well as intrinsic material properties like the

The oriented and patterned growth of fluorescent metal–organic frameworks onto functionalized surfaces

• Jinliang Zhuang,
• Jasmin Friedel and
• Andreas Terfort

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 570–578, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.66

• printing (μCP) [49]. For this, a microstructured polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamp was inked with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUDA) to transfer a pattern of 3 µm squares to the Au surface. The area surrounding the MUDA patterned parts was filled with 1-hexadecanethiol (HDT) by simple immersion in its

Ultraviolet photodetection of flexible ZnO nanowire sheets in polydimethylsiloxane polymer

• Jinzhang Liu,
• Nunzio Motta and
• Soonil Lee

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 353–359, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.41

• normally exposed to an oxygen atmosphere to achieve high performance in UV photodetection. In this work we present results on a UV photodetector fabricated using a flexible ZnO nanowire sheet embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a gas-permeable polymer, showing reproducible UV photoresponse and

• photoresponse. Keywords: permeable polymer; photoresponse; polydimethylsiloxane; UV photodetection; ZnO nanowires; Introduction ZnO is a direct wide band gap semiconductor with a 3.37 eV gap and a high exciton binding energy of 60 meV at room temperature, which is promising for optoelectronic applications

• block the UV light. Moreover, carbon-based polymers undergo oxidation with ageing, and the degradation could be expedited by the absorption of UV light. In this paper, we report results of experiments on UV photodetectors based on a thin sheet of ZnO nanowires embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS

Self-assembly of octadecyltrichlorosilane: Surface structures formed using different protocols of particle lithography

• ChaMarra K. Saner,
• Kathie L. Lusker,
• Zorabel M. LeJeune,
• Wilson K. Serem and
• Jayne C. Garno

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 114–122, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.12

• polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) (Sylgard 184, Dow Corning) was used to transfer OTS to the substrate through a physical mask of latex spheres. A drop (10–12 µL) of an OTS solution in bicyclohexyl was deposited onto a clean, dry block of PDMS (2 × 2 cm2). A 30 µL volume of a 40% v/v solution of OTS in bicyclohexyl was

Mechanical characterization of carbon nanomembranes from self-assembled monolayers

• Xianghui Zhang,
• André Beyer and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 826–833, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.92

• the membrane and the pressure cell, a layer of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with a thickness of 2 mm was prepared on top of the pressure cell. The deflection at the center of the membrane was recorded by scanning the membrane with AFM in the contact mode. In the central-point method, the AFM tip was

Plasmonic nanostructures fabricated using nanosphere-lithography, soft-lithography and plasma etching

• Manuel R. Gonçalves,
• Taron Makaryan,
• Fabian Enderle,
• Stefan Wiedemann,
• Alfred Plettl,
• Othmar Marti and
• Paul Ziemann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 448–458, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.49

• hemispheres Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) from Dow Chemical was prepared using the elastomer and curing agent in a ratio of 10:1. The two components were mixed and air bubbles were removed by submitting the liquid to primary vacuum for 15 min. The cast of polymer beads was achieved by filling a cylindrical ring

• . Spectra were normalized against the reference. Fabrication of arrays of metal film coated hemispheres. Main steps: (a) Preparation of 2D colloidal crystal; (b) cast of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS); (c) detachment of substrate; (d) cast with epoxy resin; (e) PDMS detachment and (f) metal coating by physical

Hierarchically structured superhydrophobic flowers with low hysteresis of the wild pansy (Viola tricolor) – new design principles for biomimetic materials

• Anna J. Schulte,
• Damian M. Droste,
• Kerstin Koch and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 228–236, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.27

• design than the native petals used as biological models. Xi and Jiang [23] replicated native rose petals with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and fabricated surfaces that are topographically very similar to those of the original rose petals. However, their replicas possessed high adhesive forces to small (2

Capillary origami: superhydrophobic ribbon surfaces and liquid marbles

• Glen McHale,
• Michael I. Newton,
• Neil J. Shirtcliffe and
• Nicasio R. Geraldi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 145–151, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.18

• = (κb/γLV)1/2 the solid can become deformed and shaped by the liquid. In practice, this effect has been given the name “capillary origami” based on experiments showing how films of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) shaped in two-dimensions can be folded by evaporating droplets of water to produce a designed

• adhesive forces between liquids and solids both within capillary origami and granular systems. Effect of droplets of blue-dyed water on a thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane: a) droplet causing bending of the substrate, b) initial shaped substrate with the three score lines for folding, c) droplet

• induced folding, and d) three-dimensional shape left after completion of evaporation. Effect of droplets of water on a thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane ribbon substrate hanging vertically: a) droplet causing a bending of the substrate which disappears as evaporation proceeds (three frames), b