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Elastocapillary adhesion of a soft cap on a rigid sphere
H Bense1, M Tani2, M Saint-Jean3
1Laboratoire PMMH, ESPCI Paris-PSL, CNRS UMR 7636, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France. etienne.reyssat@espci.fr jose.bico@espci.fr and AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Soft Matter
|January 23, 2020
Summary
Small elastic caps fully adhere to spheres, but larger ones delaminate. We identified the maximum cap size for full adhesion by balancing energies, revealing complex patterns like blisters and bubbles beyond this limit.
Area of Science:
- Soft Matter Physics
- Adhesion Science
- Materials Science
Background:
- Capillary adhesion is crucial in various natural and engineered systems.
- Understanding the mechanics of elastic caps on spheres informs adhesion phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the capillary adhesion of spherical elastic caps on rigid spheres with differing radii.
- To determine the critical cap size for full adhesion and characterize delamination behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of combined flexural and in-plane strains in small caps.
- Energy balance calculations (stretching vs. adhesion) to find maximum adhesion size.
- Observation and rationalization of complex adhesion patterns using configuration diagrams.
Main Results:
- Small caps fully adhere due to accommodating curvature mismatch.
- Wider caps delaminate, resulting in partial contact.
- Maximum cap size for full adhesion depends on experimental parameters.
- Complex patterns (blisters, bubbles, star shapes) emerge beyond the maximum size.
Conclusions:
- The study defines the transition from full adhesion to partial contact for elastic caps.
- Energy principles govern adhesion limits and pattern formation.
- Dimensionless parameters provide a framework for understanding diverse adhesion states.
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