Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

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...
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...
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...
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,...
Adsorption Isotherms I01:29

Adsorption Isotherms I

Adsorption isotherms are mathematical models that describe how molecules in a gas or liquid phase interact with surfaces. Two of the most common isotherm models are the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, which relate to Type I monolayer chemisorption. The Langmuir model is based on four key assumptions:• Adsorption cannot exceed monolayer coverage.• All surface sites are equivalent.• Molecules adsorb only at vacant sites.• There are no interactions between adsorbed molecules.Consider the...
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,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Phase separation in driven granular gases: exploring the elusive character of nonequilibrium steady states.

Soft matter·2017
Same author

Universal phase diagram for wetting on mesoscale roughness.

Physical review letters·2013
Same author

Network representations of nonequilibrium steady states: Cycle decompositions, symmetries, and dominant paths.

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2012
Same author

Cutoff value of choline concentration reliably reveals high-grade brain tumors among other contrast-enhancing brain lesions.

Journal of neurological surgery. Part A, Central European neurosurgery·2011
Same author

Fluidization of wet granulates under shear.

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2011
Same author

Bessel-beam-pumped tunable distributed-feedback laser.

Applied optics·2010

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Light-induced Patterning and Grafting for Slippery Surfaces based on Silane-coated Nanoporous Structures
07:23

Light-induced Patterning and Grafting for Slippery Surfaces based on Silane-coated Nanoporous Structures

Published on: November 14, 2025

Wetting, spreading, and adsorption on randomly rough surfaces.

S Herminghaus1

  • 1Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen, Germany. stephan.herminghaus@ds.mpg.de

The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter
|June 5, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Wetting phenomena on rough surfaces depend on microscopic contact angles and gas pressure. Subtle deviations from Gaussian roughness significantly impact wetting behavior, leading to a transition termed "Wenzel prewetting".

More Related Videos

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

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices
09:31

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices

Published on: March 27, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 21, 2026

Light-induced Patterning and Grafting for Slippery Surfaces based on Silane-coated Nanoporous Structures
07:23

Light-induced Patterning and Grafting for Slippery Surfaces based on Silane-coated Nanoporous Structures

Published on: November 14, 2025

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

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices
09:31

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices

Published on: March 27, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Surface science
  • Physical chemistry
  • Materials science

Background:

  • Understanding solid-liquid interactions is crucial for various applications.
  • Macroscopic random roughness significantly influences wetting properties.
  • The role of microscopic contact angle and gas pressure is key.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze wetting properties of solid substrates with random roughness.
  • To develop analytic expressions for predicting wetting behavior.
  • To identify key roughness parameters governing wetting transitions.

Main Methods:

  • Derivation of analytic expressions based on roughness characteristics.
  • Calculation of wetting phase diagrams and adsorption isotherms.
  • Locating percolation transitions in adsorbed liquid films.

Main Results:

  • Wetting behavior depends on microscopic contact angle and gas pressure.
  • Key roughness parameters were identified, simplifying predictions.
  • A novel transition, "Wenzel prewetting", was observed on typical rough surfaces.
  • This transition is absent on purely Gaussian roughness.

Conclusions:

  • Deviations from Gaussian roughness are critical for accurate wetting predictions.
  • The study provides a framework for understanding wetting on complex surfaces.
  • "Wenzel prewetting" is a generic phenomenon on non-Gaussian rough surfaces.