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Contact Angle

Contact Angle

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.
The adhesive force is the molecular force between molecules of different materials, that is, between the molecules of the solid and the liquid. The cohesive force...

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A robust polynomial fitting approach for contact angle measurements.

Ehsan Atefi¹, J Adin Mann, Hossein Tavana

¹Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids

|April 11, 2013

Summary

Polynomial fitting accurately measures contact angles of sessile drops without needing liquid properties. A new polar coordinate method improves accuracy for high-curvature drops, offering a versatile alternative to traditional techniques.

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Area of Science:

Surface Science
Materials Science
Physical Chemistry

Background:

Contact angle measurement is crucial for understanding surface properties.
Established drop shape analysis techniques often require liquid physical properties.
Accurate contact angle determination is vital in diverse applications, from coatings to microfluidics.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate polynomial fitting accuracy for contact angle measurements of sessile drops.
To develop an automated method for selecting optimal polynomial fitting parameters.
To introduce a novel polar coordinate transformation for improved accuracy with high-curvature drops.

Main Methods:

Polynomial fitting of drop profiles in Cartesian and polar coordinate systems.
Development of a differentiator mask for stable contact angle region identification.
Comparison of results with Axisymmetric Drop Shape Analysis-Profile (ADSA-P) methodology.

Main Results:

Cartesian polynomial fitting accuracy is limited for contact angles > ~60°.
A single polynomial order is insufficient for a wide range of contact angles.
Polar coordinate transformation enables accurate measurement across a broad contact angle range with a fourth-order polynomial, achieving <0.7° error compared to ADSA-P.

Conclusions:

Polynomial fitting offers a viable, property-independent alternative for contact angle measurement.
The polar coordinate method significantly enhances accuracy for challenging drop shapes.
This approach provides a robust and versatile tool for contact angle determination.