Adhesion Measurements of Thin Films in Corrosive Environments

It is well known that corrosive environments cause coating degradation and adhesion loss. The project is to quantify and study thin film adhesion in liquid environments. It involves developing novel fluid-compatible nanoindentation techniques for thin film adhesion measurements.  In addition to developing quantifiable adhesion test, we demonstrated that the addition of water at the film/substrate interface reduces adhesion by two orders of magnitude.

Funding: NACE International, The Corrosion Society; Seagate Technology

Principal Investigator: Alex Volinsky