If I put liquid paraffin wax between two aluminium plates or one aluminium plate and a plexiglass plate, and solidify it, will it create a strong bond? What kind of binding can occur between paraffin wax and aluminum or plexiglass? Does surface energy has anything to do with the adhesion? That's a lot of question. :p Thanks in advance.
A firm connection with an glue is only possible if an adhesive material polymerizes after application (a chemical reaction transforms a monomer into a polymer). With a wax paraffin, polymerization is not possible, so it is not an glue. You can better compare paraffin with metal solder: when it melts, paraffin fills the gap and when it cools it solidifies and creates a connection. However, this connection is very weak because the strength of paraffin wax is very low. In addition, this connection will fall apart when it is reheated to the wax melting temperature (approx. 80°C).
hello,
When the paraffin milts, is there any layer of the liquid phase on the aluminum plate?
Dr. Vadim Verlotski , Thanks for the explanation. What I observed is that sometimes the bond is really strong and sometimes it's not. That's why I was wondering what could be the reason of it's not being strong all the time. Also, as you said, paraffin wax is not very strong and is inert in nature, that's why I am trying to find out a reason what might be the reason behind this strong bond (although not very regular).
Dr. Hayder Ibrahim Mohammed , before attaching the aluminum plates together, I have to melt the wax to cover the whole surface area. But it solidifies in a while after the attachment.
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