Surface forces of soft thin films under confinement in fluids play an important role in diverse biological and technological applications, such as bio-adhesion, lubrication and micro- and nano-electromechanical systems. Understanding the involved interaction mechanisms underlying the adhesion behaviors and tribological performances (i.e., friction and lubrication) of various confined soft thin films is significant in the development of both fundamental science and practical technologies. In this review, the fundamentals of surface forces are briefly presented. The widely utilized force measurement techniques including surface forces apparatus (SFA), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and spacer layer interferometry tribometer techniques are introduced. The advances in the fundamental understanding of a wide range of adhesion and tribological phenomena have been reviewed, in terms of the intermolecular and surface interaction mechanisms involved. The influences of various factors such as confined film properties, experimental conditions (e.g., normal load, and sliding velocity) and environmental variables (e.g., salts, salinity, additives and pH) on the adhesion, friction or lubrication forces of confined soft thin films are presented. The correlation between adhesion hysteresis and friction/lubrication behaviors has been discussed. Some of the challenging issues remaining and future perspectives are also provided.

中文翻译：

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受限条件下软薄膜的表面力和相互作用机理：简述。

封闭在流体中的软薄膜的表面力在各种生物和技术应用中起着重要作用，例如生物粘附，润滑以及微和纳米机电系统。了解粘附行为和摩擦学性能所涉及的相互作用机理（即（摩擦和润滑）各种封闭的软薄膜在基础科学和实用技术的发展中都具有重要意义。在本文中，简要介绍了表面力的基本原理。介绍了广泛使用的力测量技术，包括表面力设备（SFA），原子力显微镜（AFM）和间隔层干涉测量仪。就所涉及的分子间和表面相互作用机制而言，已经对广泛的粘附和摩擦学现象的基本理解方面的进展进行了综述。各种因素的影响，例如密闭薄膜的性能，实验条件（例如法向载荷和滑动速度）和环境变量（例如，盐，盐度，添加剂和pH）对密闭软薄膜的粘附力，摩擦力或润滑力的影响。讨论了粘附滞后与摩擦/润滑行为之间的关系。还提供了一些具有挑战性的问题以及未来的展望。