(60a) Contact and Adhesion at Soft and Structured Interfaces

Understanding and harnessing the coupling between lubrication pressure, elasticity, and surface structure provides materials design strategies for applications such as adhesives, coatings, microsensors, and biomaterials. This presentation will discuss our efforts to understand how soft materials make contact and adhere under dynamic conditions in fluid environments. Measurements of hydrodynamic interactions between soft surfaces will show how elastic films deform due to viscous forces and how these deformations are similar to those observed with fluid droplets. In particular we will show practical implications where surface roughness (or microstructure) plays an important role on adhesion. We will highlight applications in adhesion, soft lubrication, and pressure sensitive adhesives.