Simultaneous Scattering and Tribological Investigations of Sheared Thin Soft Matter Films under Low Pressure

The study of mechanically confined soft materials is central to the understanding of interactions that lead to adhesion, lubrication and colloidal stability.

Force measurements have long been able to describe the potential that exists between various coated surfaces, but it is only more recently that scattering techniques, particularly neutron reflectometry, have permitted the study of soft-matter layers under confinement.

Specifically, the recent development of a confinement cell that consists of a solid surface confined by an expanding flexible film has been able to address key factors that have hampered these investigations for a long time. Recently, the applicants improved this design with the possibility to shear the confined surfaces.

However, while these sample environments constitute a breakthrough for structural investigations of mechanically challenged soft matter systems, there are still significant challenges ahead. In this project we will improve the current prototype by allowing the application of shear under pressures (