Wet adhesion on rough surfaces: A JKR model with thermodynamic considerations

Abstract

Understanding wet adhesion is vital for advancing technologies such as underwater robotics, aquatic microsystems, and sweat-interfaced devices. It involves the formation of a liquid bridge with a meniscus between two solid surfaces. This phenomenon has a significant impact on surface adhesion, particularly in relation to roughness. Determining the profile of this liquid bridge is critical for accurately characterizing wet adhesion. In this paper, we propose a JKR mechanical model combined with a thermodynamic approach to investigate adhesive contact between a spherical indenter and an axisymmetric wavy surface in a wetting environment. The numerical solution for the pull-off force is obtained by considering parameters such as waviness, roughness, liquid volume, and liquid surface energy. The theoretical findings validated by experimental results provide insights into wet adhesion mechanisms on rough surfaces.