화학공학소재연구정보센터
Journal of Adhesion, Vol.84, No.3, 231-239, 2008
Stretchable gold tracks on flat polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) rubber substrate
A process to fabricate stretchable gold tracks on silicone rubber substrates is studied by XPS, static water contact angle measurement, AFM, and SEM. The process involves several steps: removing uncured oligomers by hexane Soxhlet extraction; pre-stretching the substrate; activating the strained silicone surface by an oxygen plasma treatment; coating the strained substrate with 5nm titanium and 80nm gold layers; and finally releasing the sample. The plasma treatment creates a thin brittle silica-like layer that temporarily increases the substrate's surface energy. Indeed, the plasma treatment is followed by a hydrophobic recovery. As a consequence, the delay between plasma treatment and metal deposition has to be reduced as much as possible. The silica-like layer can be nicely observed after release. The entire process allows us to obtain stretchable metallized samples that remain conductive even after an excessive deformation leading to electrical failure.