Relationship Between Stickiness and Surface Roughness Of Composite Materials: Atomic Force Microscopy and Intermolecular Adhesion Force Measurement

摘要

Without understanding the property of stickiness there are limits as to how far we can use it and how sticky we can make an object. Understanding of what affects stickiness is critical. Are surface roughness and stickiness related? What is the difference between the sticky and non-sticky objects at a molecular level? We decided to look at the difference between the sticky and non-sticky objects. We reasoned that if we collect sticky and non-sticky objects and compare them through the naked eye, a high powered microscope, and an atomic force microscope (AFM), then the objects that are stickier will have more surface roughness than the objects that are less sticky. Results from our imaging of and analysis of the force of adhesion (which gives a measure of stickiness) between non-sticky objects and sticky objects through the AFM have shown us a different relationship between the surface roughness and stickiness than we had reasoned - the relationship that we have discovered is that stickiness is inversely related to the surface roughness of the materials. Our findings could be used to design new adhesives with different materials that are stronger, lighter and more cost effective that the adhesives used today.