Forces involved in adhesion

The surface tension of polymers (synthetic polymers such as plastics, biopolymers such as proteins and gelatin) is indeed of much interest in many areas. In industry where plastics are used, the adhesion of these materials to other materials (such as steel, glass) is of much interest. The adhesion process is very complex since the demand on quality and control is very high. This is also because adhesion systems are part of many life-sustaining processes (such as implants, etc.). The forces involved in adhesion need to be examined, and we will consider some typical examples in the following text. 

The title adsorption theory is a reflection of the extent to which there are very close parallels between some of the ultimate forces involved in adhesion and those involved in the adsorption of gases and vapours on to solid surfaces. It has been well known for... 

Practical bond strength Bikerman was right (3) in insisting on the importance of joint rheology in determining the practical strength of an adhesive bond. It was an important point to make at the time. However, he was wrong to say that interfacial forces were irrelevant. The connection between the two, expressed in a simple form in O Eq. 2.3, is discussed in detail elsewhere in this handbook (O Chap. 3, Forces Involved in Adhesion). 

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