Keynote Speaker
Prof. Esteban Broitman
SKF Research & Technology Development, 3430 DT Nieuwegein, The NetherlandsSpeech Title: Mechanical Properties of Polymers and Composite Materials Measured at the Macro-, Micro-, and Nanoscales
Abstract: During the last decade, novel polymers and composite materials have been developed for applications as micro- and nanodevices. In these applications, conventional mechanical characterization techniques like tensile, compression and bending tests are inapplicable due to the size of the samples. Nanoindentation technique, widely used to characterize the mechanical properties of hard metals and ceramics has started to be used also to characterize polymers and composite materials. Recently, a review has been published by the author comparing mechanical measurement techniques at different scales: “Indentation Hardness Measurements at Macro-, Micro-, and Nanoscale,” Tribology Letters vol 65 (2017) p.23.
In this talk, the application of indentation techniques to measure the hardness, elastic modulus, and creep of polymers and composite materials is discussed. A comparison between nanoindentation results and macroscopic properties is offered. Finally, typical mistakes in the measurements of these materials are also critically examined. Challenges and future perspectives in the application of nanoindentation to characterize mechanical properties of polymers and composite materials are suggested.
Biography: Esteban Broitman holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), and a Docent (Habilitation) degree in Tribology from Linköping University (Sweden). He has been doing research and teaching at the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), The College of William & Mary (USA), Carnegie Mellon University (USA), Linköping University (Sweden), and Invited Professor at University of Sao Pablo (Brazil), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS - China). He is presently a Senior Scientist in the area of Coatings at the SKF Research and Technology Development Center in Netherlands. His activities focus on the use of advanced surface engineering to control friction and wear at the macro-, micro-, and nano-scales of coatings like DLC, nanocomposites, and softer materials like soft metals and polymers.