Leach K Amanda, Gupta Suresh, Dickey Michael D, Willson C Grant, Russell Thomas P
Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA.
Chaos. 2005 Dec;15(4):047506. doi: 10.1063/1.2132248.
Electrohydrodynamics were studied in a trilayer thin film system consisting of two different polymeric layers and air. A polymer with a higher dielectric constant, poly(methyl methacrylate), was sandwiched between air and a lower dielectric constant polymer, polystyrene. An electric field was applied normal to the interfaces. Along with electrostatic forces, dewetting forces were significant at two of the interfaces, namely, the polystyrene/silicon wafer and the polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) interfaces. These two combined forces produce novel closed-cell structures that are difficult to produce by other existing techniques.
