ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Van der Waals surface

Imagine you have two toys that are stuck together. When you look at them closely, you might notice that there is some space between them where they don't touch entirely. This space is called the van der Waals surface. It's like a little gap that exists between two things that are very close to each other.

Now, things that are very small, like atoms and molecules, also have a van der Waals surface. When two atoms or molecules come close to each other, their van der Waals surfaces come together, and they start to stick together through weak forces called van der Waals forces.

Van der Waals surfaces are important because they help us understand how molecules interact. Scientists use van der Waals surfaces to study how molecules fit together and what causes them to stick together. They can use this information to design new molecules and materials that have specific properties.

So, the van der Waals surface is like a tiny gap that exists between two things that are very close to each other. It helps scientists understand how atoms and molecules interact and stick together through weak forces called van der Waals forces.