Contact mechanics and the adhesion of soft solids

The contact behavior of solid materials is determined by the system geometry, externally applied loads and internal adhesive forces, and by the materials properties. As the size and stiffness of a material decrease, adhesive forces become increasingly important in determining its contact behavior. The current trends toward the use of smaller features in many areas of technology, and the importance of ‘soft’ materials including biological tissues, elastomers and polymer gels, demand that the effects of adhesion on contact mechanics be properly understood. The focus of this review is on the mechanics of contact experiments that are commonly used to characterize adhesion, and on the materials science of adhesion of elastic and viscoelastic materials.