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Related Concept Videos

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...
Surface Tension of Fluid01:22

Surface 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...
Cohesion01:07

Cohesion

Cohesion is the attraction between molecules of the same type, such as water molecules. Water molecules have an overall neutral charge but are polar molecule. An oxygen atom in one water molecule has a partial negative charge that can bind to a hydrogen atom with a partial positive charge in a second water molecule, forming a hydrogen bond. Each water molecule can form up to four hydrogen bonds with other water molecules. Hydrogen bonds are responsible for water's cohesive nature.
On a surface,...
Surface Tension01:24

Surface 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,...
Surface Tension and Surface Energy01:16

Surface Tension and Surface Energy

When a paint brush is immersed in water, the bristles wave freely inside the water. When it is taken out, the bristles stick together. The reason behind this effect is surface tension.
Consider a beaker filled with liquid. The bulk molecules in the liquid experience equal attractive forces on all sides with the surrounding molecules. However, the surface molecules experience a net attractive force downward due to the bulk molecules. The surface of the liquid behaves like a stretched membrane,...
Solubility03:00

Solubility

Solution, Solubility, and Solubility Equilibrium
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules, atoms, and/or ions)...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Measuring the Interaction Force Between a Droplet and a Super-hydrophobic Substrate by the Optical Lever Method
07:18

Measuring the Interaction Force Between a Droplet and a Super-hydrophobic Substrate by the Optical Lever Method

Published on: June 14, 2019

Bouncing droplets on nonsuperhydrophobic surfaces.

Longquan Chen1, Zhigang Li

  • 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|September 28, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Water droplets can bounce off soft surfaces within specific impact velocity limits. This rebound is due to air film formation, preventing wetting and promoting droplet bounce.

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Rendering SiO2/Si Surfaces Omniphobic by Carving Gas-Entrapping Microtextures Comprising Reentrant and Doubly Reentrant Cavities or Pillars

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Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Measuring the Interaction Force Between a Droplet and a Super-hydrophobic Substrate by the Optical Lever Method
07:18

Measuring the Interaction Force Between a Droplet and a Super-hydrophobic Substrate by the Optical Lever Method

Published on: June 14, 2019

High Throughput Analysis of Liquid Droplet Impacts
09:00

High Throughput Analysis of Liquid Droplet Impacts

Published on: March 6, 2020

Rendering SiO2/Si Surfaces Omniphobic by Carving Gas-Entrapping Microtextures Comprising Reentrant and Doubly Reentrant Cavities or Pillars
08:02

Rendering SiO2/Si Surfaces Omniphobic by Carving Gas-Entrapping Microtextures Comprising Reentrant and Doubly Reentrant Cavities or Pillars

Published on: February 11, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Fluid dynamics
  • Surface science
  • Materials science

Background:

  • Droplet impact dynamics on superhydrophobic, hydrophilic, and hydrophobic surfaces are well-documented.
  • Rebound phenomena are typically associated with superhydrophobic surfaces, while wetting occurs on hydrophilic and hydrophobic ones.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the rebound behavior of water droplets on nonsuperhydrophobic soft surfaces.
  • To identify the critical impact velocity thresholds governing droplet rebound and wetting on these surfaces.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental analysis of water droplet impact on deformable soft surfaces.
  • Observation and analysis of droplet-surface interactions across a range of impact velocities.

Main Results:

  • Water droplets exhibit rebound behavior on nonsuperhydrophobic soft surfaces within defined lower and upper impact velocity limits.
  • Surface deformability facilitates air film formation at lower impact velocities, enabling rebound.
  • At higher impact velocities, entrapped air bubbles contribute to the release of the air film, leading to wetting.

Conclusions:

  • Nonsuperhydrophobic soft surfaces can induce droplet rebound, challenging conventional understanding.
  • The interplay between surface deformability, impact velocity, and air film dynamics dictates droplet-surface interactions.