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Related Concept Videos

Rise of Liquid in a Capillary Tube01:18

Rise 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.
Capillary Exchange01:28

Capillary Exchange

The cardiovascular system's chief role is to disseminate gases, nutrients, waste, and other substances to the body's cells. Small molecules like gases, lipids, and lipid-soluble substances directly diffuse through capillary wall endothelial cell membranes. Glucose, amino acids, and ions, including sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride, use transporters for facilitated diffusion via membrane-specific channels. Glucose, ions, and bigger molecules may also pass through intercellular clefts.
Capillarity in Fluid01:19

Capillarity 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, Capillary Action, and Viscosity02:57

Surface 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...
Adhesion01:14

Adhesion

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...
Van der Waals Interactions01:24

Van der Waals Interactions

Atoms and molecules interact with each other through intermolecular forces. These electrostatic forces arise from attractive or repulsive interactions between particles with permanent, partial, or temporary charges. The intermolecular forces between neutral atoms and molecules are ion–dipole, dipole–dipole, and dispersion forces, collectively known as van der Waals forces.Polar molecules have a partial positive charge on one end and a partial negative charge on the other end of the molecule,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Isolation of Mouse Retinal Capillaries and Subendothelial Matrix for Stiffness Measurement Using Atomic Force Microscopy
10:02

Isolation of Mouse Retinal Capillaries and Subendothelial Matrix for Stiffness Measurement Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Published on: July 12, 2024

Capillary force repels coffee-ring effect.

Byung Mook Weon1, Jung Ho Je

  • 1Department of Physics, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA. bmweon@hotmail.com

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|September 28, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

In drying coffee droplets, particles initially move outward due to the coffee-ring effect. A reversed motion toward the center occurs when capillary forces overcome this outward flow.

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Area of Science:

  • Colloid science
  • Fluid dynamics
  • Surface science

Background:

  • The coffee-ring effect describes the deposition of particles along the edge of a drying droplet.
  • This phenomenon is driven by an outward flow of the liquid towards the contact line.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate particle motion in drying droplets beyond the standard coffee-ring effect.
  • To identify conditions and mechanisms that can reverse particle deposition from the edge towards the center.

Main Methods:

  • Observation of particle movement in drying droplets.
  • Analysis of the interplay between coffee-ring effect-driven flow and capillary forces.
  • Investigation of geometric constraints influencing particle motion.

Main Results:

  • A novel particle motion reversal phenomenon was observed.
  • Particles initially moving outward are driven inward by capillary forces.
  • This reversal occurs when capillary forces dominate the outward coffee-ring flow.

Conclusions:

  • Capillary forces can counteract and reverse the coffee-ring effect in drying droplets.
  • Geometric factors play a crucial role in enabling this reversal.
  • Understanding this reversal is vital for controlling deposition in drying colloidal fluids.