Capillary forces between surfaces with nanoscale roughness.
The flow and adhesion behavior of fine powders (approx. less than 10 microm) is significantly affected by the magnitude of attractive interparticle forces. Hence, the relative humidity and magnitude of capillary forces are critical parameters in the processing of these materials. In this investigation, approximate theoretical formulae are developed to predict the magnitude and onset of capillary adhesion between a smooth adhering particle and a surface with roughness on the nanometer scale. Experimental adhesion values between a variety of surfaces are measured via atomic force microscopy and are found to validate theoretical predictions.
Rabinovich
Yakov I
YI
Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Engineering Research Center for Particle Science and Technology, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611-16135, USA.
Adler
Joshua J
JJ
Esayanur
Madhavan S
MS
Ata
Ali
A
Singh
Rajiv K
RK
Moudgil
Brij M
BM