H. Lee, B. Fu, H. Lechuga, E. Imbertson
3M,
United States
Keywords: AFM-nanoDMA, nanoscale viscoelasticity, industrial research
Summary:
Understanding viscoelastic properties is essential to predict how materials will behave under different conditions, such as varying loads, temperatures, and time scales. This is crucial for ensuring that materials perform as expected in their intended applications. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) is commonly used to investigate the viscoelastic properties of materials. While DMA is well-suited for measurements on bulk samples, it is less capable of characterizing localized properties within heterogeneous samples. At 3M, many products incorporate materials with structural heterogeneity, such as phase-separated materials, polymer composites, polymer blends, and multi-layered structures. There is a growing demand for evaluating localized properties, as they can significantly influence overall material performance. Localized viscoelastic characterization enhances our understanding of materials and paves the way for developing new materials and applications. To achieve this, we have leveraged a nanoscale DMA technique based on an atomic force microscope (AFM), known as AFM-nanoDMA, to characterize local viscoelastic properties that are not accessible using traditional DMA. At 3M’s Corporate Research Analytical Laboratory (CRAL), AFM-nanoDMA has become a standard tool for characterizing the viscoelastic properties of 3M materials, at the submicron level. This technique has proved to be an invaluable addition to 3M CRAL’s AFM capabilities, impacting many important product platforms. This presentation will showcase examples of AFM-nanoDMA applications in real-world industrial research.