Assessment of nano-scale tribological and mechanical properties of flexible transparent polymers based on atomic force microscopy

Abstract Transparent polymers are often used in various devices that are fabricated by nano-imprinting lithography (NIL). One of the main concerns in NIL is regarding the interfacial interaction between the mold and the polymeric part. In this work, the tribological and mechanical properties of PET and PDMS were systematically assessed with respect to temperature using an AFM. The nano-scale properties obtained were used to analyze the stress distribution of a polymeric part during NIL. These results are expected aid in optimization of NIL process to achieve higher precision and durability of polymeric parts used in bio and energy devices.