Abstract.
Sharp, Teichroeb and Forrest [J.S. Sharp, J.H. Teichroeb, J.A. Forrest, Eur. Phys. J. E 15, 473 (2004)] recently published a viscoelastic contact mechanics analysis of the embedment of gold nanospheres into a polystyrene (PS) surface. In the present comment, we investigate the viscoelastic response of the surface and conclude that the embedment experiments do not support the hypothesis of a liquid surface layer of sufficiently reduced “rheological temperature” to explain reports of very large reductions in the glass temperature of freely standing ultrathin polystyrene films. We also report some errors and discrepancies in the paper under comment that resulted in an inability to reproduce the reported calculations. We present our findings of error in a spirit of clarifying the problem of embedment of spheres into surfaces and in order that others can understand why they may not reproduce the results reported by Sharp, Teichroeb and Forrest. In the comment, we also examine the effects of the magnitude of the forces that result from the polymer surface-nanosphere particle interactions on the viscoelastic properties deduced from the embedment data and we provide a comparison of apparent surface or “rheological” temperature vs. experimental temperature that indicates further work needs to be performed to fully understand the surface embedment experiments. Finally, we comment that the nanosphere embedment measurements have potential as a powerful tool to determine surface viscoelastic properties.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
J.H. Teichroeb, J.A. Forrest, Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 016104-1 (2003)
P.A. O'Connell, S.A. Hutcheson, G.B. McKenna, Proceedings World Polymer Congress, Macro 2004, Paris, France, July 4–9, 2004, Session 2.3.1 (2004)
J.S. Sharp, J.H. Teichroeb, J.A. Forrest, Eur. Phys. J. E 15, 473 (2004)
S.A. Hutcheson, G.B. McKenna, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 076103 (2005); S.A. Hutcheson, G.B. McKenna, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 189902 (2005)
K. Dalnoki-Veress, J.A. Forrest, C. Murray, C. Gigault, J.R. Dutcher, Phys. Rev. E. 63, 031801-1 (2001)
E.H. Lee, J.R.M. Radok, J. Appl. Mech. 27, Trans. ASME 82, Series E, 438 (1960)
T.C.T. Ting, J. Appl. Mech., Trans. ASME 33, 845 (1966)
E. Riande et al., Polymer Viscoelasticity: Stress and Strain in Practice (Marcel Dekker, New York, 2000), pp. 207–212, 214–216
W.N. Findley, J.S. Lai, K. Onaran, Creep and Relaxation of Nonlinear Viscoelastic Materials, with an Introduction to Linear Viscoelasticity, edited by H.A. Lauwerier, W.T. Koiter, Appl. Math. Mech. (North-Holland, New York, 1976), pp. 81–85
D.J. Plazek, V.M. O'Rourke, J. Polymer Science: Part A-2 9, 209 (1971); Data provided to both HM and STF in tabular form by D.J. Plazek
Personal communication with J.A. Forrest, J.S. Sharp, program provided by J.S. Sharp (2005)
W.H. Press, Numerical recipes in C: the art of scientific computing (Cambridge University Press, New York, 1988)
D.T. Barnard, Pascal for Engineers (Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 1988)
Both programs are available as supplemental materials on the following website: http://www.che.ttu.edu/McKennaGrp/EPJEProg.htm
D. Tabor, J. Colloid Interf. Sci. 58, 2 (1977)
K.L. Johnson, K. Kendall, A.D. Roberts, P. Roy. Soc. Lond. A 324, 301 (1971)
L.O. Heim, S. Ecke, M. Preuss, H.-J. Butt, J. Adhesion 16, 829 (2002); J. Drelich, F.W. Tormoen, E.R. Beach, Coll. Int. Sci. 280, 484 (2004); M. Nardin, J. Schultz, Langmuir 12, 4238 (1996)
A. Jagota, C. Argento, S. Mazur, J. Appl. Phys. 83, 250 (1998)
C.Y. Hui, Y.Y. Lin, J.M. Baney, A. Jogata, J. Adhesion, 14, 1297 (2000)
A. Perro, S. Reculusa, S. Ravaine, E.Bourgeat-Lami, E. Duguet, J. Matl. Chem. 15, 3745 (2005)
P. Silberzan, S. Perutz, E.J. Kramer, M.K. Chaudhury, Langmuir 10, 2466 (1994)
D.S. Rimai, D.M. Schaefer, R.C. Bowen, D.J. Quesnel, Langmuir 18, 4592 (2002)
D. Maugis, J. Coll. Int. Sci. 150, 243 (1992)
C. Basire, C. Frétigny, Eur. Phys. J. AP 6, 323 (1999)
F.L. Leite, P.S.P. Herrmann, J. Adhesion Sci. and Technol. 19, 365 (2005)
E. Barthel, G. Haiat, Langmuir 18, 9362 (2002).
G.W. Tormoen, J. Drelich, J. Nalaskowski, J. Adhesion Sci. and Technol. 19, 215 (2005)
J.D. Ferry, Viscoelastic Properties of Polymers, 3rd edn. (J. Wiley and Sons, New York, 1980)
G.B. McKenna, in Comprehensive Polymer Science: Polymer Properties, edited by C. Booth, C. Price (Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1989), p. 311, Vol. 2
H. Vogel, Phys. Z. 22, 645 (1921); G.S. Fulcher, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 8, 339 (1925); G. Tamman, W.Z. Hesse, Anorg. Allg. Chem. 156, 245 (1926)
M. Alcoutlabi, G.B. McKenna, J. Phys.: Condensed Matter 17, R461 (2005)
S.A. Hutcheson, G.B. McKenna, ANTEC 2006, Proceedings of the 64th Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition, Charlotte, NC, May 7–11 (Society of Plastics Engineers, 2006), pp. 1497–1500
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hutcheson, S., McKenna, G. Comment on “The properties of free polymer surfaces and their influence on the glass transition temperature of thin polystyrene films” by J.S. Sharp, J.H. Teichroeb and J.A. Forrest . Eur. Phys. J. E 22, 281–286 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/e2007-00030-1
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/e2007-00030-1