What is Adhesion

Adhesion is a phenomenon where two different substances cling to each other. It occurs due to the forces of attraction between different molecules. For instance, when water droplets stick to a window during rain, that’s adhesion in action. The water (liquid) adheres to the glass (solid) surface due to the attractive forces between them.

Adhesion can be influenced by several factors:

• Surface properties: The roughness and chemical characteristics of a surface affect adhesion. Smooth surfaces may offer less adhesion compared to rough surfaces.
• The nature of the substances: Different materials exhibit different levels of adhesion. For example, water adheres well to cotton but not so well to wax.
• Environmental conditions: Temperature and humidity can affect adhesion. Adhesives may perform differently in various environmental conditions.

Adhesion and cohesion tell us how substances interact at the molecular level. Adhesion refers to the attractive force between molecules of different substances. It allows substances to cling to different materials while cohesion is the attractive force between molecules of the same substance. It keeps molecules together within the substance. In this article, we will learn the differences between Adhesion And Cohesion in detail.