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Characteristic mechanical properties and complex ordered structures in metal films on liquid substrates

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Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

Several metal (such as aluminum, iron etc.) film systems deposited on liquid (silicone oil) substrates have been successfully fabricated by a thermal evaporation method, and the special mechanical properties and complex ordered surface structures have been systematically studied. The experimental results show that there exists a compressive stress gradient in these films, making cracks nucleate at the film edges and then extend to the central regions gradually. Because the interaction between solid films and liquid substrates in the tangent direction is very small, the metal films can motion freely on the oil surfaces as a whole. In order to release the compressive stress, the broken film pieces collide, crush and superpose each other, which finally results in the formation of ordered bandshaped structures with an anti-symmetric characteristic. Based on the special mechanical properties of these nearly free sustained films, the morphologies and growth behaviors of the ordered structures are analyzed and discussed in detail.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Physics, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China

    Yu Senjiang, Wu Liangneng, Cui Yujian & Ge Hongliang

  2. Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    Yu Senjiang

  3. Department of Physics, Taizhou University, Linhai, 317000, China

    Zhang Yongju

Authors
  1. Yu Senjiang
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  2. Zhang Yongju
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  3. Wu Liangneng
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  4. Cui Yujian
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  5. Ge Hongliang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yu Senjiang.

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Yu, S., Zhang, Y., Wu, L. et al. Characteristic mechanical properties and complex ordered structures in metal films on liquid substrates. CHINESE SCI BULL 51, 1039–1049 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-006-1039-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-006-1039-y

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