Nanoindentation probing of environmental effects on polymer coating properties

Humidity and temperature control accessories for Hysitron Triboscope have been developed to study the environmental influence on in situ properties of drying coatings. Mechanical properties of drying poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) and poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) coatings on silicon wafer were measured under different humidities. The modulus results were compared with outputs of elastic, plastic and viscoelastic theories of indentation testing.