Unified Theory and Practice

Book excerpt: Unified Theory and Practice: Polymer Adhesion, X-Ray Diffraction, & X-Ray Florescence By: Frank H. Chung, PhD There are seven adhesion theories scattered in the literature. Each explains adhesion strength loosely in words and figures. The unified theory of polymer adhesion derives a mathematical equation linking bond length, bond energy and bond strength (lb/in 2 ). It unifies and clarifies prior insights into a coherent concept. A set of guidelines is compiled on the effects of functional groups, solvent blends, pigments and filler, adhesion promotion, and the causes of adhesion loss. Due to the complex matrix effects, the quantitative XRD & XRF analyses of mixtures require calibration lines from standard, hence tedious and time-consuming. New insights reveal that both the matrix effects and calibration lines can be eliminated mathematically. A decoding formula applies to both XRD & XRF. One XRD or XRF scan quantifies the chemical elements or compounds in any mixture. The unified procedure reduces about 80% of work current practice with a precision of ± 5% or better.