Formation of Nanometer-Scale Contacts to Viscoelastic Materials

Abstract

The making and breaking of nanometer-scale contacts is an essential operation in MEMS devices with moving parts. The behavior of contacts in this size range is not well understood, especially if viscoelastic materials are involved. This article describes shear modulation spectroscopy, a new scanning force microscope technique especially well suited for quantitative studies of nanometer-scale contacts to viscoelastic materials such as lubricants and some polymers. The technique is illustrated by measurements and analysis of contacts to poly(vinylethylene).

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2007
Accession Number
ADA462096

Entities

People

  • K. J. Wahl
  • W. N. Unertl

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Adhesion
  • Alkenes
  • Amplitude
  • Block Copolymers
  • Detectors
  • Displacement
  • Elastic Materials
  • Materials
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Mechanics
  • Microelectromechanical Systems
  • Military Research
  • Modulus Of Elasticity
  • Shear Modulus
  • Stiffness
  • Stresses
  • Surface Properties

Readers

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  • Tribology (the study of the boundary interaction between sliding surfaces, lubrication, wear and friction).