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Title: Quartz-enhanced conductance spectroscopy for nanomechanical analysis of polymer wire

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4936648· OSTI ID:22486148
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  1. State Key Laboratory of Quantum Optics and Quantum Optics Devices, Institute of Laser Spectroscopy, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006 (China)
  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77004 (United States)

Quartz-enhanced conductance spectroscopy is developed as an analytical tool to investigate dynamic nanomechanical behaviors of polymer wires, in order to determine the glass transition temperature (T{sub g}). A polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microwire with a diameter of 10 μm was bridged across the prongs of a quartz tuning fork (QTF). With the advantage of QTF self-sensing as compared with micro-cantilevers or other resonators, the resonance frequency and Q factor can be directly determined by means of its electrical conductance spectra with respect to the frequency of the external excitation source (dI/dV vs f), and therefore, no optical beam is required. The T{sub g} of the PMMA microwire was determined by the maximum loss modulus of the QTF, calculated from the resonance frequency and the Q factor as a function of temperature. The measured T{sub g} of the PMMA is 103 °C with an error of ±2 °C. Both heating/cooling and physical aging experiments were carried out, demonstrating that the technique is both reversible and reproducible.

OSTI ID:
22486148
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 107, Issue 22; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English