Wetting, Adhesion and Abhesion – Why Scale Matters

Roughness and chemistry dictate whether a surface behaves in an adhesive or an abhesive manner. This is critical if the objective is to generate an adhesive bond or a coating to adhere to a part or whether the aim is to have a surface to which contamination does not adhere. The interdependence of roughness and chemistry on these behaviours is subtle and whilst broad guidelines may well be sufficient in many cases, a deeper understanding can reveal the potential for limitations and opportunities to improve reproducibility and functional behaviour. The presentation will provide background to the assessment of roughness and wetting behaviour and how these behaviours influence each other, I will also discusses the need for integrated, multiscale characterisation and design strategies combining chemistry, topography, and mechanics to achieve predictable interfacial performance.