Adhesion and surface forces in polymer tribology—A review

Polymer tribology is a fast growing area owing to increasing applications of polymers and polymer composites in industry, transportation, and many other areas of economy. Surface forces are very important for polymer contact, but the real origin of such forces has not been fully investigated. Strong adhesive interaction between polymers leads to an increase in the friction force, and hence, the asperities of the material may be removed to form wear particles or transfer layers on the counterface. The theory of polymer adhesion has not been completely elucidated yet and several models of adhesion have been proposed from the physical or chemical standpoints. This paper is focused on the research efforts on polymer adhesion with emphasis on adhesion mechanisms, which are very important in the analysis of polymer friction and wear.