Nanometer Smooth, Macroscopic Spherical Cellulose Probes for Contact Adhesion Measurements

Cellulose spheres were prepared by dissolving cellulose fibers and subsequently solidifying the solution in a nonsolvent. Three different solution concentrations were tested and several nonsolvents were evaluated for their effect on the formation of spheres. Conditions were highlighted to create cellulose spheres with a diameter of ∼1 mm and a root-mean-square surface roughness of ∼1 nm. These solid spheres were shown to be easily chemically modified without changing the mechanical properties significantly. Contact adhesion measurements were then implemented with these spheres against a poly­(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) elastomer in order to quantify the adhesion. Using Johnson–Kendall–Roberts (JKR) theory, we quantified the adhesion for unmodified cellulose and hydrophobic cellulose spheres. We highlight the ability of these spheres to report more accurate adhesion information, compared to spin-coated thin films. The application of these new cellulose probes also opens up new possibilities for direct, accurate measurement of adhesion between cellulose and other materials instead of using uncertain surface energy determinations to calculate the theoretical work of adhesion between cellulose and different solid materials

Enhancing Adhesion of Elastomeric Composites through Facile Patterning of Surface Discontinuities

Patterning interfaces can provide enhanced adhesion over a projected area. However, careful consideration of the material properties and geometry must be applied to provide successful reversible adhesives. We present a simple method to use patterned, elastomeric fabric composites to enhance the shear adhesion strength by nearly 40% compared to a non-patterned sample. We describe how this enhancement depends on the pattern geometry, the velocity dependence of the adhesive materials, and the controlled displacement rate applied to the interface. Through these observations, we discuss strategies for improving reversible adhesives

Robust and Tailored Wet Adhesion in Biopolymer Thin Films

Model layer-by-layer (LbL) assemblies of poly­(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and hyaluronic acid (HA) were fabricated in order to study their wet adhesive behavior. The film characteristics were investigated to understand the inherent structures during the assembly process. Subsequently, the adhesion of these systems was evaluated to understand the correlation between the structure of the film and the energy required to separate these LbL assemblies. We describe how the conditions of the LbL fabrication can be utilized to control the adhesion between films. The characteristics of the film formation are examined in the absence and presence of salt during the film formation. The dependence on contact time and LbL film thickness on the critical pull-off force and work of adhesion are discussed. Specifically, by introducing sodium chloride (NaCl) in the assembly process, the pull-off forces can be increased by a factor of 10 and the work of adhesion by 2 orders of magnitude. Adjusting both the contact time and the film thickness enables control of the adhesive properties within these limits. Based on these results, we discuss how the fabrication procedure can create tailored adhesive interfaces with properties surpassing analogous systems found in nature