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Topic: Growing thin PMMA film  (Read 2804 times)

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Offline KaiRin4

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Growing thin PMMA film
« on: June 10, 2013, 08:57:13 AM »

I am trying to grow a thin PMMA (poly methyl methacrylate) film by first dissolving it in acetone and then evaporating off the acetone, however, due to the stickiness of the PMMA, I can't seem to separate the film from the substrate underneath. The material I have to work with is the following PMMA:

http://www.scipoly.com/dotnetnuke/Products/SearchProducts/tabid/126/ProductId/504/Default.aspx

The size of the film can be as small as 1 inch by 1 inch. If anyone has a better method scheme to grow the film please assist.


Offline opsomath

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Re: Growing thin PMMA film
« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2013, 09:58:17 AM »
Can you spin your substrate to prepare a more uniform film and help dry it?

Can you use a Teflon-coated substrate?

Offline Enthalpy

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Re: Growing thin PMMA film
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2013, 04:14:55 PM »
Could you make the Pmma film on a liquid?

This was done for model aeroplanes of the "peanut" category, to produce wing films thin enough. They let lacker dry on a liquid (water?). Just find a liquid dense enough for Pmma and that does not dissolve it: Perfluorodecalin? As an alternative to the Pmma solvent, might you consider pouring Mma on the supporting liquid, and polymerize there by light?

If you can produce really thin film, this is very interesting for Solar sails - a technology that looks a bit poetic but is a strong reasonable candidate for space travels shorter than now. There, the material of choice is polyimide.
http://saposjoint.net/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=2102&start=10#p40927
A machine to make existing polyimide thinner thinner in a controlled fashion:
http://saposjoint.net/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=2102#p24358

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