Interface stabilization in adhesion caused by elastohydrodynamic deformation

TL;DR

This paper investigates how elastohydrodynamic deformation of soft probes stabilizes interfaces during adhesion, suppressing instabilities and altering debonding mechanisms in viscoelastic polymer films, with implications for medical and soft surface applications.

Contribution

It introduces the concept that elastohydrodynamic deformation stabilizes interfaces during adhesion, providing a new understanding of debonding from soft surfaces.

Findings

Detachment from soft probes suppresses Saffman-Taylor instabilities.

Elastohydrodynamic deformation stabilizes the interface.

A scaling law for the onset of stabilization is proposed.

Abstract

Interfacial instabilities are common phenomena observed during adhesion measurements involving viscoelastic polymers or fluids. Typical probe-tack adhesion measurements with soft adhesives are conducted with rigid probes. However, in many settings, such as for medical applications, adhesives make and break contact from soft surfaces such as skin. Here we study how detachment from soft probes alters the debonding mechanism of a model viscoelastic polymer film. We demonstrate that detachment from a soft probe suppresses Saffman-Taylor instabilities commonly encountered in adhesion. We suggest the mechanism for interface stabilization is elastohydrodynamic deformation of the probe and propose a scaling for the onset of stabilization.