| This work involves the modification and characterization of polymer surfaces, and the development of novel experimental techniques to measure directly their surface energies and the interfacial adhesion. In most of the studies reported here, the surface forces apparatus (SFA) has been used to measure the molecular level adhesion between a variety of polymeric materials. In the latter part of this project, the classical "JKR technique" has been appropriately modified, and used as an alternative to the SFA technique for adhesion measurements. The JKR theory of contact mechanics has been used to determine the surface and interfacial energies from the measured interfacial adhesion.;The surface energies of polyethylene (PE), poly(4-methyl 1-pentene) (TPX), poly(vinyl cyclohexane) (PVCH), polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (PVP), and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), were measured using the SFA. The effect of modification of PE surface using corona and plasma discharge treatments on its surface energy was also investigated quantitatively. In all cases, the results of direct surface energy measurements were compared to those of contact angle measurements. In most cases, the surface energy estimated from the contact angle data (;The classical "JKR technique" involves determining the interfacial adhesion between polymers from measurements of adhesion induced deformation of macroscopic bodies. The original JKR technique was suitably modified to measure the adhesion between relatively rigid glassy polymers. This technique provides a simple, versatile and user-friendly method to measure the interfacial adhesion between a variety of materials.;To understand the influence of surface topography on adhesion, the effect of surface roughness on the adhesion of solids was investigated theoretically. |
