Adhesion of Atmospheric Dustfall Particles to a Glass Slide

Abstract

PARTICLES of atmospheric dust adhere strongly to solid surfaces, as can be judged by the persistence of their presence on automobiles, window ledges and other familiar surfaces. In our laboratory we have for several years been investigating the adhesion of solid particles to various surfaces with the view of clarifying the pertinent influential physical and chemical characteristics of the particle, substrate and ambient air1–3. In recent years, several different groups have reported results of measurement of small particle adhesion4–6. We were unaware of any previous efforts to measure the forces of adhesion between atmospheric dustfall particles and solid surfaces, or of any investigation that compared the adhesion forces of these particles to other common particle systems of comparable size.