Time dependence of the indentation behavior of hybrid coatings

The mechanical behavior of PMMA-TEOS hybrid coatings has been investigated. The polymer component of the hybrid is shown to introduce a time dependence into the indentation response of the coating. Specific procedures allow limiting the non-elastic part during the unloading of the indenter. Even in these cases the viscous deformation of the coatings has to be considered. Introducing a viscous deformation into the total deformation allows modeling the experimental curves and obtaining insight into the behavior of hybrid coatings. Furthermore, the adjustment of the model to the experimental curves yields mechanical characteristics of the coatings to predict the time dependence.