Time-Temperature Integrator Based on the Dewetting of Polyisobutylene Thin Films

This work reports the application of a patterned thin film of polyisobutylene (PIB) irradiated with an electron beam as a time-temperature integrator, i.e., a device that is able to record the thermal history of a product. The device is fabricated by irradiation with an electron beam of regions of a PIB thin film to different doses of electrons. A different dewetting behavior occurs at these regions upon thermal exposure, depending on the dose. The experimental results are quantified by means of a model of dewetting based on nucleation and growth of holes in a strong slippage regime.