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Adhesion

Adhesion

Adhesion occurs when one type of molecule is attracted to a different molecule. Water exhibits adhesive properties in the presence of polar surfaces, such as glass or cellulose in plants. For instance, when water is poured into a glass, the positively charged hydrogen molecules of water are more attracted to the negatively charged oxygen molecules in the silica than to the oxygen in neighboring water molecules.
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The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Published on: September 9, 2022

Nanogeometry matters: unexpected decrease of capillary adhesion forces with increasing relative humidity.

Mariana Köber¹, Enrique Sahagún, Pedro García-Mochales

¹Instituto de Microelectrónica de Madrid CNM-CSIC, Isaac Newton 8, PTM, 28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain.

Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)

|November 13, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The sticking effect between hydrophilic surfaces surprisingly decreases as relative humidity (RH) increases. This counterintuitive finding, observed across the entire humidity range, is linked to nanoscale surface geometry, offering potential technological applications.

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Area of Science:

Surface science
Nanotechnology
Tribology

Background:

Hydrophilic surfaces exhibit a common sticking effect that intensifies with increasing relative humidity (RH).
This phenomenon has significant implications across various everyday and technological contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

To experimentally investigate the relationship between capillary adhesion forces and relative humidity for hydrophilic surfaces.
To elucidate the underlying mechanisms responsible for adhesion changes at the nanoscale.

Main Methods:

Experimental measurements of adhesion forces between hydrophilic surfaces at varying relative humidity levels.
Development and application of a thermodynamic model based on macroscopic principles to analyze nanoscale asperity geometry.

Main Results:

A counterintuitive monotonous decrease in capillary adhesion forces was observed with increasing RH.
Experimental results were consistent with a thermodynamic model predicting decreased adhesion for surfaces with sharp asperities ending in a flat nanometer-sized apex.
The anomalous decrease is attributed to hindered liquid meniscus growth at the contact region due to the specific geometry.

Conclusions:

The nanoscale geometry of surface asperities plays a critical role in determining adhesion forces under varying humidity conditions.
Controlling surface asperity shape at the nanometric scale can mitigate the undesirable sticking effect of hydrophilic surfaces at higher RH.
Findings are relevant for understanding nanomenisci dynamics and developing advanced material applications.