title: Water-swelling-induced morphological instability of a supported polymethyl methacrylate thin film.
abstract: The instability of supported poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) thin films in water has been investigated. It is found that PMMA films partially detach from the solid substrate, resulting in the formation of bubbles under water. The process is reversible. Surface morphology analysis shows that the radius of curvature of the bubbles is dependent on the thickness of the PMMA films and is independent of the treatment of the films, such as the annealing temperature and the annealing time. Theoretical analysis based on a two-layer model (the swollen layer and the interior layer) shows that the partial swelling of PMMA in water is the physical origin of bubble formation.
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory of Molecular Science, Joint Laboratory of Polymer Sciences and Materials, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Benxin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Huiling
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Duan
mesh_terms: D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate