Effects of the Substrate on the Determination of SEBS Thin Film Mechanical Properties by Nanoindentation

In order to investigate nanoindentation data of polymer film-substrate systems and to learn more about the mechanical properties of polymer film-substrate systems, SEBS (styreneethylene/ butylene-styrene) triblock copolymer thin film on different substrate systems have been tested with a systematic variation in penetration depth and substrate characteristics. Nanoindentation experiments were performed using a Hysitron TriboIndenter with a Berkvoich tip. The resulting data were analyzed in terms of load-displacement curves and various comparative parameters, such as hardness and Young’s modulus. The results obtained by the Oliver and Pharr method show how the composite hardness and Young’s modulus are different for different substrates and different penetration depth.