Abstract
The formation of an interphase zone at the junction between an organic system, such as an adhesive or coating, and an inorganic substrate is considered. Drawing on experimental work for a fully-formulated photocured resin and theoretical models for a simple homopolymer it is shown that such a feature may be the result of preferential adsorption (for a multicomponent system) or conformational changes in the case of a homopolymer. Guidelines for the recognition, cause and prediction of such layers are provided, and their possible effects on the strength and durability of the organic/inorganic couple are discussed. It is suggested that the consideration of these phenomena at the design stage of a new resin may provide a route to optimise hydrolytic stability. The behaviour of an interphase zone of this type as a weak boundary layer is also considered.