BUBBLES, CAVITIES, AND THE LONG-RANGED ATTRACTION BETWEEN HYDROPHOBIC SURFACES

Measurements of the forces in water between neutral hydrophobic surfaces prepared by covalent modification of glass are presented. The surfaces are stable under a variety of conditions including high temperature, high salt concentrations and with added ethanol. The forces between these surfaces have been studied under all of these different conditions. In water the force is attractive at very large surface separations, and discontinuities or steps are present in the force curves. It is suggested that the steps at the onset of the force are due to the bridging of submicroscopic bubbles or cavities between the surfaces and that it is their consequent growth with decreasing separation that causes the long-range attraction between hydrophobic surfaces. Electrolyte has a negligible effect on the range and strength of the measured forces, except at very high salt concentrations where the strength of the attractive forces and the adhesion between the surfaces increases slightly. The addition of ethanol reduces both the strength of the long range forces and the adhesion between the surfaces. On the basis of the comparison between these results and earlier measurements, it appears that the attraction does not obey the Derjaguin approximation. Forces were also measured in the presence of a microscopic vapor cavity created by first bringing the surfaces into contact.