Measurement of the Adhesion of a Viscoelastic Sphere to a Flat Non-Compliant Substrate

The adhesion between a single polystyrene bead (radius, 27 μm) and a flat silica surface has been measured with an atomic force microscope as a function of two variables: (a) The maximum applied load and, (b) the loading time at a constant maximum applied load. Analysis of the results indicates significant plastic deformation of the bead under the action of the load forces. There is also evidence for time-dependent viscoelastic effects as a load is exerted on the bead. The contact zone of the polystyrene bead used for these experiments was examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy. The microscope images revealed a surface covered in small polymer beads with a radius of only 115 nm. In the contact zone these beads had undergone substantial and permanent deformation as a function of the applied load. Basic geometric analysis reveals that the large sphere is not contacting the flat surface under any load. The results presented here indicate the value of being able to measure adhesion using an atomic force microscope. The importance of being able to characterise the contact zone accurately is also highlighted.