The effective adhesive properties of heterogeneous thin films are characterized through a combined experimental and theoretical investigation. By bridging scales, we show how variations of elastic or adhesive properties at the microscale can significantly affect the effective peeling behavior of the adhesive at the macroscale. Our study reveals three elementary mechanisms in heterogeneous syste...

Low voltage operated electrochemical devices, such as electrochromic displays, electrochemical transistors and electrolyte capacitors can be produced from electrically conducting polymers and polyelectrolytes. Here, we report how such polymers and polyelectrolytes can be casted together with nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) derived from wood. The resulting films, which carry ionic or electronic ...

Results are reviewed from a study on the distribution of surfactants in pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) films subsequent to the coating process. The PSAs are water-based acrylics synthesized with n-butyl acrylate, vinyl acetate and methacrylic acid and two commercially available surfactants, disodium (nonylphenoxypolyethoxy)ethyl sulfosuccinate (anionic) and nonylphenoxypoly(ethyleneoxy) etha...

In this study, the effects of diffusion on gold-chromium film durability was determined from interfacial fracture energy measurements on laboratory samples aged to simulate long term service. The samples were prepared by sputter deposition of gold films and chromium adhesive layers on sapphire substrates. Some films were left in the as-deposited condition while others were given an accelerated ...

Thin adhesive films have become increasingly important in applications involving packaging, coating or for advertising. Once a film is adhered to a substrate, flaps can be detached by tearing and peeling, but they narrow and collapse in pointy shapes. Similar geometries are observed when peeling ultrathin films grown or deposited on a solid substrate, or skinning the natural protective cover of...

Electrode surfaces have been widely modified with electrically conductive polymers, including polypyrrole (PPY), to improve the performance of electrodes. To utilize conductive polymers for electrode modification, strong adhesion between the polymer films and electrode substrates should be ensured with high electrical/electrochemical activities. In this study, PPY films were electrochemically p...

Inspired by the marine mussel adhesive protein, smart, magnetically controllable, oil adsorption nanofibrous materials were successfully fabricated in this research. Taking advantage of the properties of dopamine whose molecular structure mimics the single unit of the marine mussel adhesive protein and can be polymerized in alkaline solution forming a "glue" layer on many kinds of material surf...

Photochemical tissue bonding (PTB) is a sutureless technique for tissue repair, which is achieved by applying a solution of rose bengal (RB) between two tissue edges(1,2). These are then irradiated by a laser that is selectively absorbed by the RB. The resulting photochemical reactions supposedly crosslink the collagen fibers in the tissue with minimal heat production(3). In this report, RB has...