Weak non-linearities of amorphous polymer under creep in the vicinity of the glass transition.

The creep behavior of an amorphous poly(etherimide) polymer is investigated in the vicinity of its glass transition in a weakly non linear regime where the acceleration of the creep response is driven by local configurational rearrangements. From the time shifts of the creep compliance curves under stresses from 1 to 15 MPa and in the temperature range between and , where is the glass transition temperature, we determine a macroscopic acceleration factor. The macroscopic acceleration is shown to vary as temperature with , where is the macroscopic stress and Y is a decreasing function of compliance.

Friction through molecular adsorption at the sliding interface of hydrogels: theory and experiments.

We report on the frictional properties of thin (≈μm) poly(dimethylacrylamide) hydrogel films within contacts with spherical silica probes. In order to focus on the contribution to friction of interfacial dissipation, a dedicated rotational setup is designed which allows to suppress poroelastic flows while ensuring a uniform velocity field at the sliding interface. The physical-chemistry of the interface is varied from the grafting of various silanes on the silica probes.

Swelling induced debonding of thin hydrogel films grafted on silicon substrates.

We report on the delamination of thin (≈μm) hydrogel films grafted to silicon substrates under the action of swelling stresses. Poly(dimetylacrylamide) (PDMA) films are synthesized by simultaneously cross-linking and grafting preformed polymer chains onto the silicon substrate using a thiol-ene reaction. The grafting density at the film/substrate interface is tuned by varying the surface density of reactive thiol-silane groups on the silicon substrate.

Transient sliding of thin hydrogel films: the role of poroelasticity.

We report on the transient frictional response of contacts between a rigid spherical glass probe and a micrometer-thick poly(dimethylacrylamide) hydrogel film grafted onto a glass substrate when a lateral relative motion is applied to the contact initially at rest. From dedicated experiments with in situ contact visualization, both the friction force and the contact size are observed to vary well beyond the occurrence of a full sliding condition at the contact interface. Depending on the imposed velocity and on the static contact time before the motion is initiated, either an overshoot or an undershoot in the friction force is observed.

Swelling Dynamics of Surface-Attached Hydrogel Thin Films in Vapor Flows.

Hydrogel coatings absorb water vapor, or other solvents, and, as such, are good candidates for antifog applications. In the present study, the transfer of vapor from the atmosphere to hydrogel thin films is measured in a situation where water vapor flows alongside the coating which is set to a temperature lower than the ambient temperature. The effect of the physico-chemistry of the hydrogel film on the swelling kinetics is particularly investigated.