Adhesion of Polymer Sphere to Modified Natural Fiber via AFM

The modification of natural fiber surfaces (Kenaf, Flax, etc.) to control the hydrophobicity is critical in utilizing these structural fibere within polymer composites. As a measure of the adhesion of known polymers to these fibers, we propose to utilize AFM with 3 um PS polymer spheres mounted on tipless cantilevers to measure the F-D attraction-repulsion of the polymer to the fiber in a controlled environment.