Polymer-Polymer Interdiffusion and Adhesion

Abstract Adhesion is a phenomenon related to microscopic and macroscopic interactions between two polymer surfaces brought into intimate contact. This includes microscopic as well as macroscopic interactions. The most important theories of adhesion for polymer-polymer interfaces are the wetting and diffusion theories. The wetting theory describes the initial stage of adhesion in bringing the two polymers into intimate contact. After molecular contact is established, segments of the two polymers diffuse across the interface and the interface heals as a function of time [1, 2]. Therefore, the extent of adhesion at polymer-polymer interfaces is determined by the extent of diffusion and the interfacial thickness between the two polymers.