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Textured Polymer Surfaces Mimicking the Tactile Friction Between Wood and Skin

  • Advanced Coating and Thin Film Materials for Energy, Aerospace and Biological Applications
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Abstract

Polymer-based furniture with wood-like visual printing is widely used in domestic and office applications. Although polymers could fulfil the high quality requirements of strength and appearance, they cannot mimic the feel of wood during touch. In this study, polymers with textured surfaces were designed to mimic the tactile friction and naturalness of wood. The influence of a series of factors on tactile friction was assessed. Textured polypropylene surfaces showed a 14.8% reduction in friction, and were more similar to wood compared to un-textured rough polypropylene surface, indicating the significant influence of surface texture on tactile friction. The touch perception test further proved that polymer samples were perceived as more natural with a rough or textured surface than with a smooth surface. This study suggests that, with a detailed design of the surface texture parameter, it is possible to mimic the tactile friction and naturalness of wood by using textured polymers.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (17ZR1442100), FP7 Marie Curie CIG (PCIG10-GA-2011-303922), and European Fund for Regional Development GO EFRO 209-18331.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Information and Management, Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance, Shanghai, 201209, China

    Li Zhang

  2. Laboratory for Surface Technology and Tribology, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB, Enschede, The Netherlands

    Adriana Carolina Rodríguez Urribarrí, Xiangqiong Zeng & Emile van der Heide

  3. Laboratory for Advanced Lubricating Materials, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China

    Haihang Wang & Xiangqiong Zeng

  4. Ningbo Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, 315100, China

    Sheng Zhang

  5. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai, 200080, China

    Yuan Zhang

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  1. Li Zhang
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  2. Adriana Carolina Rodríguez Urribarrí
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  3. Haihang Wang
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  4. Sheng Zhang
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  5. Yuan Zhang
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  6. Xiangqiong Zeng
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  7. Emile van der Heide
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Correspondence to Yuan Zhang or Xiangqiong Zeng.

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Zhang, L., Rodríguez Urribarrí, A.C., Wang, H. et al. Textured Polymer Surfaces Mimicking the Tactile Friction Between Wood and Skin. JOM 73, 515–523 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-020-04513-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-020-04513-w

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