Accurately evaluating Young's modulus of polymers through nanoindentations: A phenomenological correction factor to the Oliver and Pharr procedure

The Oliver and Pharr procedure is a widely used tool to analyze nanoindentation force curves obtained on metals or ceramics. Its application to polymers is however difficult, as Young’s moduli are commonly overestimated mainly because of viscoelastic effects and pile-up. However, polymers spanning a large range of morphologies have been used in this work to introduce a phenomenological correction factor. It depends on indenter geometry: sets of calibration indentations have to be performed on some polymers with known elastic moduli to characterize each indenter.