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Adhesion between a rigid cylindrical particle and a soft fluid membrane tube

Jeff Z Y Chen1, Sergey Mkrtchyan

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1.

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|May 21, 2010
PubMed

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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.
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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...
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