Determination of fracture toughness and energy dissipation of SiO2-poly(methyl metacrylate) hybrid films by nanoindentation

In this paper we have applied different methods based on nanoindentation techniques to measure the toughness of SiO2-poly methyl-methacrylate hybrid films on organic acrylic substrates. The hybrid films were deposited by the Sol-Gel method from precursor solutions containing tetraethyl-orthosilicate, methylmethacrylate and 3-trimethoxysilyl propyl methacrylate (TMSPM) as the coupling agent. The influence of TMSPM content in the hybrid precursor solution on the fracture behavior of the hybrid films was studied. The classical indentation crack length method was applied from nanoindentation tests to determine the stress intensity factor by direct measurement of crack length from atomic force microscopy images. A second method, based on the pop-in analysis allowed the separation of crack formation from film delamination from multiple pop-ins. Finally, a third method based on energy methods is also reported and discussed. The amount of TMSPM in the precursor solution showed a strong influence on the toughness of the hybrid films.