Mechanical properties of UV-photopolymerizable hybrid sol-gel films investigated by AFM in pulsed force mode

Pulsed Force Mode was successfully used to investigate hybrid sol-gel films based on organically modified silicon alkoxides. This technique provides, simultaneously to the surface corrugation analysis, a measure of the local mechanical properties of the material (stiffness and adhesion). Such a study of the tribological properties of the material at a nanoscopic scale is of highest interest to investigate the influence of material synthesis parameters on the architecture of the nanocomposite material. In particular, we emphasize on the influence of the irradiation time and the inorganic synthesis parameters on the mechanical properties of the films. The advantages of this technique are multiple: AFM/PFM appears to be well-adapted for the characterization of thin films and the submicronic lateral resolution of the technique opens the door to the study of micro- or nano-pattemed hybrid structures. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.