Morphology and conductivity of Au films on polydimethylsiloxane using (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) as an adhesion promoter

Bekim Osmani; Hans Deyhle; Florian M. Weiss; Tino Töpper; Maria Karapetkova; Vanessa Leung; Bert Müller

doi:10.1117/12.2219199

15 April 2016 Morphology and conductivity of Au films on polydimethylsiloxane using (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) as an adhesion promoter

Bekim Osmani, Hans Deyhle, Florian M. Weiss, Tino Töpper, Maria Karapetkova, Vanessa Leung, Bert Müller

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9798, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2016; 979822 (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2219199
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2016, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Abstract

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA) are often referred to as artificial muscles due to their high specific continuous power, which is comparable to that of human skeletal muscles, and because of their millisecond response time. We intend to use nanometer-thin DEA as medical implant actuators and sensors to be operated at voltages as low as a few tens of volts. The conductivity of the electrode and the impact of its stiffness on the stacked structure are key to the design and operation of future devices. The stiffness of sputtered Au electrodes on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was characterized using AFM nanoindentation techniques. 2500 nanoindentations were performed on 10 x 10 μm² regions at loads of 100 to 400 nN using a spherical tip with a radius of (522 ± 2) nm. Stiffness maps based on the Hertz model were calculated using the Nanosurf Flex-ANA system. The low adhesion of Au to PDMS has been reported in the literature and leads to the formation of Au-nanoclusters. The size of the nanoclusters was (25 ± 10) nm and can be explained by the low surface energy of PDMS leading to a Volmer-Weber growth mode. Therefore, we propose (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) as a molecular adhesive to promote the adhesion between the PDMS and Au electrode. A beneficial side effect of these self-assembling monolayers is the significant improvement of the electrode’s conductivity as determined by four-point probe measurements. Therefore, the application of a soft adhesive layer for building a dielectric elastomer actuator appears promising.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Bekim Osmani, Hans Deyhle, Florian M. Weiss, Tino Töpper, Maria Karapetkova, Vanessa Leung, and Bert Müller "Morphology and conductivity of Au films on polydimethylsiloxane using (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) as an adhesion promoter", Proc. SPIE 9798, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2016, 979822 (15 April 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2219199

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available