Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
10:52
Preparation and High-temperature Anti-adhesion Behavior of a Slippery Surface on Stainless Steel
Published on: March 29, 2018
Thermodynamics of capillary adhesion between rough surfaces
1MEMS Technologies Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA. mpdebo@sandia.gov
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
|March 21, 2007
Summary
The work of adhesion can change due to liquid evaporation or condensation at interfaces. Accounting for these thermodynamic processes modifies the standard Dupré equation for accurate adhesion energy calculations.
Area of Science:
- Thermodynamics
- Materials Science
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- The Dupré equation traditionally defines work of adhesion based on surface energies.
- Interfacial phenomena involving liquids can alter adhesion work through phase changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an energy balance model accounting for evaporation and condensation at solid-liquid interfaces.
- To analyze how thermodynamic processes affect the work of adhesion.
Main Methods:
- Applied the first law of thermodynamics using an open-system control volume analysis.
- Developed and applied an energy balance to various interface geometries (sphere-on-flat, circular disc, rough interface).
Main Results:
- Evaporation or condensation at the interface leads to heat flow and alters the work of adhesion.
- A work term, either positive or negative, must be added to the surface energy term.
- For a sphere-on-flat geometry, work of adhesion is half the created surface energy under equilibrium.
Conclusions:
- Standard Dupré equation is insufficient when liquids are present at interfaces due to phase changes.
- Thermodynamic analysis is crucial for accurately predicting work of adhesion in systems with evaporation or condensation.
- The developed model provides a more comprehensive understanding of adhesion in complex interfacial systems.
Related Concept Videos
02:57Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
Surface Tension
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...
01:14Adhesion
Adhesion occurs when one type of molecule is attracted to a different molecule. Water exhibits adhesive properties in the presence of polar surfaces, such as glass or cellulose in plants. For instance, when water is poured into a glass, the positively charged hydrogen molecules of water are more attracted to the negatively charged oxygen molecules in the silica than to the oxygen in neighboring water molecules.
Capillary action is a result of water’s adhesive tendencies. When a narrow glass...
Capillary action is a result of water’s adhesive tendencies. When a narrow glass...
01:19Capillarity in Fluid
Capillarity describes the movement of liquid in small spaces without external forces acting on it. The capillarity is driven by surface tension and adhesive interactions between the liquid and surrounding solid surfaces. This effect is often seen in narrow tubes, porous materials, and fine particles.
Surface tension is crucial to capillarity. It results from cohesive forces between liquid molecules at the liquid-air boundary, forming a skin that resists external forces. When the capillary tube...
Surface tension is crucial to capillarity. It results from cohesive forces between liquid molecules at the liquid-air boundary, forming a skin that resists external forces. When the capillary tube...
01:24Surface Tension
Surface tension is defined as the force per unit length (γ) acting along the surface of a liquid. It arises due to strong intermolecular forces of attraction. A molecule located inside the bulk of the liquid is surrounded by other molecules and experiences equal forces in all directions. However, a molecule at the surface experiences unbalanced forces because there are more neighboring molecules below than above. This creates a net inward force that pulls surface molecules toward the interior,...
01:18Rise of Liquid in a Capillary Tube
When very thin cylindrical tubes, called capillaries, are dipped in a liquid, the liquid rises or falls in the tube compared to the surrounding liquid. This phenomenon is called capillary action. Capillary action occurs due to the combination of two opposing forces: the cohesive forces of the liquid, which cause it to stick to itself and form a rounded shape, and the adhesive forces between the liquid and the walls of the container, which cause the liquid to be attracted to the container walls.
01:22Surface Tension of Fluid
Surface tension is a fundamental property of fluids, occurring at the boundary between a liquid and a gas or between two immiscible liquids. This phenomenon arises from the cohesive forces between molecules at the fluid's surface, creating an effect similar to a stretched elastic membrane. Inside each fluid, molecules are equally attracted in all directions by neighboring molecules, but surface molecules experience a net inward force, resulting in surface tension.
Surface tension varies with...
Surface tension varies with...