Irreversibility, Energy Dissipation, and Time Effects in Intermolecular and Surface Interactions

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Abstract
The use of thermodynamic functions such as surface energy (y) or the reversible work of adhesion (W) implicitly assumes that two surfaces are interacting under conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium. Likewise, the concept of the adhesion force or pressure between two surfaces, molecules, or colloidal particles also suggests the existence of well‐defined time‐independent values for these quantities. Yet most interactions involving molecules, surfaces, and complex fluid systems are irreversible, involving the transfer of energy from one system to another; that is, they involve “energy dissipation”. We review the molecular origins nonequilibrium (irreversible) interactions of surfaces that give rise to adhesion hysteresis, contact angle hysteresis, friction, and other thin‐film properties, and discuss the important role of “time” in such processes which can have a significant effect on what we measure. We also consider the possible central role of nonequilibrium interactions in biological systems, where nature often makes use of the finite time of molecular processes for regulating the interactions of proteins, membranes, and cells.