Modulation of the Capillary Force Profile at the Solid-Solid Interface through Topographical Modifications

Abstract

Modulations of interfacial adhesion at solid-solid contacts are desired in many multidisciplinary applications. This study aims at the creation of reproducible solid-solid interfaces with significantly mitigated capillary adhesion through physical modifications. First, a continuum boundary element-based mathematical model to predict capillary forces at solid-solid contacts was developed and validated. Next, the model was utilized to simulate the capillary adhesion between a glass substrate with hypothetical surface topographies, in the form of nanopillars and nanowells, and silica particles of various sizes at varied humidity conditions. This study revealed that the nanopillar surface topography was much more effective than the nanowell in suppressing the capillary condensation and could lower the capillary forces by more than one order of magnitude for the micrometer-scale and nanoscale particulates. This study suggested that topographical tuning at the solid-solid interface can significantly reduce interfacial adhesion and promote the dust-resistance characteristic of a substrate. Finally, this simulation study can guide the fabrication of solid surfaces with reproducible topography and optimized geometrical parameters to yield an extremely reduced interfacial capillary adhesion. © 2023 American Chemical Society.