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Surface Tension of Fluid

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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.
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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...

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When a solid is dipped inside a liquid, the liquid surface becomes curved near the contact. For some solid–liquid interfaces, the liquid is pulled up along the solid, while for others, the liquid surface is convex or depressed near the solid surface. This phenomenon can be explained using the concept of cohesive and adhesive forces.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions

Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions

Published on: February 17, 2019

Decorating a liquid interface promotes splashing.

Stéphane Douezan¹, Françoise Brochard-Wyart

¹Physico-Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, UMR 168, UPMC, Paris, France.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids

|July 14, 2011

Summary

A surfactant monolayer lowers the impact velocity needed to create air cavities when spheres hit water. This finding is key for understanding vesicle production and fluid dynamics.

Area of Science:

Fluid dynamics
Surface science
Materials science

Background:

Understanding air-water interface dynamics is crucial for various scientific and industrial applications.
The impact of objects on liquid surfaces can lead to complex phenomena like splashing and air entrainment.
Surfactant monolayers significantly alter surface properties, influencing interfacial behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of a surfactant monolayer in the impact dynamics of small spheres on an air-water interface.
To determine the threshold impact velocity for air cavity formation and its dependence on fluid properties.
To explore how wettability, controlled by monolayers or surface treatments, affects impact outcomes.

Main Methods:

Experimental analysis of small sphere impacts on an air-water interface.

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Last Updated: May 31, 2026

Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions

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Published on: February 17, 2019

Visualization of High Speed Liquid Jet Impaction on a Moving Surface

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Published on: April 17, 2015

Fast Imaging Technique to Study Drop Impact Dynamics of Non-Newtonian Fluids

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Published on: March 5, 2014

Utilizing water-ethanol and water-glycerol mixtures to vary surface tension and viscosity.

Employing a stearic acid monolayer to modify the air-water interface properties.

Observing and quantifying the threshold impact velocity for air entrainment.

Main Results:

An air cavity (splashing) is induced above a critical impact velocity.
The presence of a stearic acid monolayer reduces the threshold velocity for air entrainment.
Threshold velocity is dependent on bath surface tension and viscosity.
Sphere wettability is a key determinant of the threshold velocity.

Conclusions:

Surfactant monolayers, like stearic acid, can significantly influence impact dynamics by lowering the air entrainment threshold.
The wettability of the sphere by the liquid bath is a critical factor governing impact-induced air cavity formation.
These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing vesicle production techniques involving impacts on lipid layers.