How do liquids confined at the nanoscale influence adhesion?

TL;DR

This paper investigates how nanoscale confinement of liquids affects adhesion between solid surfaces, revealing that a monolayer of liquid can significantly alter adhesion properties, with implications for biological and synthetic systems.

Contribution

It provides molecular dynamics insights into the influence of nanoscale liquid layers on adhesion, highlighting the dual role of liquids as lubricants or adhesives in different contexts.

Findings

A monolayer of liquid can significantly modify adhesion.

Nanoscale liquids can act as either lubricants or adhesives.

Surface roughness influences the effect of confined liquids on adhesion.

Abstract

Liquids play an important role in adhesion and sliding friction. They behave as lubricants in human bodies especially in the joints. However, in many biological attachment systems they acts like adhesives, e.g. facilitating insects to move on ceilings or vertical walls. Here we use molecular dynamics to study how liquids confined at the nanoscale influence the adhesion between solid bodies with smooth and rough surfaces. We show that a monolayer of liquid may strongly affect the adhesion.