Effective parameters for the precise control of thin film buckling on elastomeric substrates

Abstract

This paper reports a simple and versatile technique for generating highly controllable sinusoidal nanostructures on the surface of poly-(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). The sinusoidal features were generated by oxidizing PDMS slabs with oxygen plasma, then stretching them by wrapping around a cylinderical surface, and finally allowing them to relax. The wavelength and amplitude could be finely controlled by varying the fabrication conditions such as duration of oxidation, diameter of the glass cylinder, duration of stretching, thickness of the PDMS slabs, and temperature during the second hardening process. The varied trends of the buckling patterns were characterized by using an atomic force microscope.