Adhesion of fluid infused silicone elastomer to glass

Abstract

Elastomers swollen with non-polar fluids show potential as anti-adhesive materials. We study the effect of oil fraction and contact time on the adhesion between swollen spherical probes of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane)...

Adhesion and Contact Aging of Acrylic Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives to Swollen Elastomers

“…After the removal of ethanol from the extracted lenses by heating the samples at 75 °C at 1 atm pressure for 16 h, the final dry weight was recorded as m i . Samples were swollen in silicone oil according to the protocol mentioned in our previous work, and the final weight was recorded as m f . The fraction of oil in the elastomer matrix was then calculated as ϕ = ( m f – m i )/ m i .…”

“…The presence of fluid at the surface of a swollen elastomer reduces adhesion with rigid substrates at short contact times . The amount of fluid present at the surface depends on the fluid content in the bulk, and so do the adhesive properties. ,, In addition, for ultrasoft swollen elastomeric gels, where Young’s modulus is E ∼ O (1) kPa, fluid separates from the bulk and forms a wetting ridge at the contact line with another solid surface .…”

“…The presence of fluid at the surface of a swollen elastomer reduces adhesion with rigid substrates at short contact times . The amount of fluid present at the surface depends on the fluid content in the bulk, and so do the adhesive properties. ,, In addition, for ultrasoft swollen elastomeric gels, where Young’s modulus is E ∼ O (1) kPa, fluid separates from the bulk and forms a wetting ridge at the contact line with another solid surface . For example, Jensen et al studied contact between a silica microsphere and a swollen ultrasoft elastomer and showed fluid separation, i.e., the fluid being displaced from the bulk solid to the triple contact line, caused by the stress gradient developed in the contact region .…”

“…They determined that the extent of fluid separation arises from a balance between elastic stresses in the gel and the osmotic pressure difference. For stiffer swollen gels (or swollen elastomers) in contact with a rigid surface, fluid at the interface prevents the formation of solid–solid contact and leads to a decrease in adhesion . With more compliant substances such as mussel plaques, the adhesion protein secreted by the mussel foot may be unable to displace excess lubricant present at the surface of an infused elastomer, thus limiting adhesion .…”

Adhesive Release via Elasto-Osmotic Stress Driven Surface Instability

“…Modification of elastomers via liquid has recently been investigated by various groups. [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] The work reported here is related particularly to those studies concerning hydrophilic liquid inclusions. [16][17][18][19][20] These materials are unique in that they maintain, overall, the intrinsic properties of the elastomer but they are capable of absorbing moisture from the surrounding environment.…”