Analysis of Adhesion Strength and Elasticity of Various Acid-Free Gels as Key Predictors of Manicure Durability

Halyna Kaliugina

Citation: Halyna Kaliugina, "Analysis of Adhesion Strength and Elasticity of Various Acid-Free Gels as Key Predictors of Manicure Durability", Universal Library of Arts and Humanities, Volume 02, Issue 03.

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The durability of gel manicures is a primary criterion for assessing service quality and client satisfaction in the modern nail industry. This study provides an extensive analysis of the influence of key physico-mechanical parameters—adhesion strength and elastic modulus—on the operational stability of acid-free gel systems. The aim is to establish quantitative relationships between these indicators and the coating’s resistance to mechanical loads. For this purpose, tests on specimens simulating the keratin surface of the nail plate were carried out: pull-off tests to evaluate adhesion and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) to determine the storage modulus (elasticity) of three commercially available acid-free gels. The experimental data revealed that maximum coating durability is achieved not at extreme values of adhesion strength or elasticity taken separately, but at their optimal synergistic combination. Thus, a gel with moderate yet balanced characteristics—adhesion of about 5,2 MPa and a storage modulus of approximately 850 MPa—demonstrated 25–30 % greater resistance to cracking and delamination in simulated wear tests compared with stiffer or excessively elastic analogues. The identified nonlinear relationship makes it possible to predict the operational properties of the coating based on laboratory measurements, which is of practical interest for chemical technologists developing polymer formulations for the nail industry, manufacturers of professional cosmetics, as well as manicurists and podology specialists focused on improving service quality.


Keywords: Adhesion, Elasticity, Acid-Free Gel, Manicure Durability, Nail Plate, Polymerization, Acrylates, HEMA-Free, Mechanical Properties, Nail Industry.

Download doi https://doi.org/10.70315/uloap.ulahu.2025.0203011