This project focuses on impressing patterns on polymeric substrates via wrinkling. Wrinkles functionalise surfaces by changing their adhesion, liquid spreading properties and light harvesting properties.
Wrinkling can occur when a bi-(or multi) layer is subject to mechanical strain. If the layers have different mechanical properties, upon compression the mismatch causes instabilities which result in pattern formation. Depending on the strain applied, a variety of patterns can be observed: between these we are interested in ordered sinusoidal patterns.
Our research focuses on determining the limits of wrinkling for nanoscale patterning. Moreover we are also interested in applying this patterning method, for example to characterise films in terms of their mechanical properties.
References
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5. Nania, M. (2017), , PhD Thesis, 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ
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3. Nania, M., Matar, O.K. and Cabral, J.T. (2015) . Soft Matter, 11, 3067-3075.​
2. Chiche, A., C.M. Stafford, and J. Cabral (2008) . Soft Matter, 4, p. 2360-2364. 

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