Instabilities in thin polymer films: from pattern formation to rupture

Thermal fluctuations of the surfaces of thin polymer films can be amplified by the long‐range van der Waals or dispersion force which acts across the film. When freely‐standing polymer films are heated, this instability leads to the formation of holes. We have measured the formation and growth of holes in very thin, freely‐standing polystyrene (PS) films to learn about the mobility of the confined polymer molecules. We have also symmetrically …