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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
We have investigated simple shear flows of poly-dimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) melts on PDMS brushes with well controlled grafting density Σ, using optical techniques based on near field laser anemometry to measure the local velocity of a polymer melt at a solid interface. We have observed a slip transition from a weak slip regime to a strong one as the shear rate crosses a critical value γ*. The influence of the molecular weight of the melt Mm, of the molecular weight of the brush chains Mb and of Σ on γ*, has been investigated to elucidate the molecular mechanisms. The results are compared with an existing molecular model.