Surface Forces and Adhesion Between Dissimilar Materials Measured in Various Environments

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Abstract
The Israelachvili surface force apparatus has been used extensively over the past decade to make detailed measurements of surface forces and adhesion between very smooth solids in various liquid and vapor environments. Most of those measurements have been made with mica surfaces, but we have recently developed a method of preparing smooth silica surfaces for use in place of the mica. The silica surfaces adhere in dry and humid atmospheres, but do not adhere when immersed in water.The use of a second material not only broadens the scope of the Israelachvili technique, but also enables studies of forces and adhesion between dissimilar materials. In this work, we present the results of measurements of adhesion in air and forces in aqueous solution between two silica surfaces; we also report preliminary results of the adhesion between a mica surface and a silica surface.