Bonding energy of Sylgard on fused quartz: an experimental investigation

The bonding energy between the polymer Sylgard and fused quartz is determined experimentally using a miniature bulge test combined with three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC). Based on the experimental observation, Mindlin plate theory is used to compute the bonding energy (adhesive energy or surface energy) between the Sylgard and the fused quartz. The experimental results demonstrate that the combination of the miniature bulge test and the 3D-DIC provides a viable tool to directly measure interfacial and bonding properties.