Influence of Interface Adsorption on the Dewetting Kinetics of Polymer Liquid Films

Polymer films have broad applications in coatings , optoelectronic devices and sensing devices , with their interface stability being a key factor significantly affecting these applications. During the application of these films , stability not only in air but also under various environmental conditions , including in water or organic solvents is required. To date , the systematic elucidation of the influence of solvent -restricted interface adsorption of polymer films on their stability has not been fully explored. In this work , focusing on linear polystyrene (LPS ) films and 3 -arm star -shaped polystyrene (3SPS ) films , we explored the influence of polymer chain interface adsorption in confined systems on the interfacial stability of polymer solution films. We found in our experimental results that the polymer chains adsorbed on the substrate form a drag force , which drives the dewetting of the film and increases the resistance to film dewetting. As the annealing time increases , the adsorption of linear and 3 -arm star -shaped chains on the substrate gradually increases , LPS and 3SPS films transit from instability to stability in acetone vapor , with the rim becoming stable during the film dewetting process , the dewetting speed gradually decreasing , and the equilibrium contact angle progressively decreasing. At the same annealing time , 3SPS films exhibit a lower dewetting speed in acetone vapor than LPS films , and after dewetting , 3SPS films on the substrate have a smaller equilibrium contact angle than LPS films , indicating that the capillary driving force of 3SPS films is less than that of LPS films.