(93a) Approach to Contact, and Adhesion at Elastic and Structured Interfaces

Understanding and harnessing the coupling between lubrication pressure and elasticity provides materials design strategies for applications such as adhesives, coatings, microsensors, and biomaterials. This presentation will discuss our efforts to unnderstand the analogies between drops and soft materials in terms of lubrication forces, adhesion and deformation in viscous environments. We will show how elastic films deform due to viscous forces and how these deformations are similar to those observed with fluid droplets. We will discuss implications for adhesion and soft lubrication. In particular, our experiments highlight important length scales for hydrodynamic drainage of past soft or structured surfaces and the importance of elastic deformation during the approach of compliant surfaces.