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Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity

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 Fluid

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...

Capillarity in Fluid

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...

Rise of Liquid in a Capillary Tube

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.

Surface Tension and Surface Energy

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,...

Adhesion

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 3, 2026

Scalable Stamp Printing and Fabrication of Hemiwicking Surfaces

Scalable Stamp Printing and Fabrication of Hemiwicking Surfaces

Published on: December 18, 2018

Droplet spreading on a two-dimensional wicking surface.

Chang Quan Lai¹, Trong Thi Mai², H Zheng²

¹Advanced Materials for Micro- and Nano-Systems Programme, Singapore-MIT Alliance, Singapore 117576.

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics

|February 4, 2014

Summary

Droplets spread on nanopillar surfaces via a wicking film, reaching a stable shape. A new model predicts this final droplet size and spreading dynamics on engineered surfaces.

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Last Updated: May 3, 2026

Scalable Stamp Printing and Fabrication of Hemiwicking Surfaces

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Published on: December 18, 2018

Taking Advantage of Reduced Droplet-surface Interaction to Optimize Transport of Bioanalytes in Digital Microfluidics

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Glass-Based Devices to Generate Drops and Emulsions

Glass-Based Devices to Generate Drops and Emulsions

Published on: April 5, 2022

Area of Science:

Surface science
Nanotechnology
Fluid dynamics

Background:

Droplet spreading on surfaces is crucial for applications like microfluidics and coatings.
Understanding the role of surface topography, such as nanopillars, is key to controlling droplet behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate droplet spreading dynamics on two-dimensional wicking surfaces with silicon nanopillars.
To develop a quantitative model for predicting droplet spreading limits and power-law relationships.

Main Methods:

Utilized square arrays of silicon (Si) nanopillars to create wicking surfaces.
Observed droplet spreading behavior and measured displacement-time relationships.
Developed and validated a quantitative model against experimental data.

Main Results:

A wicking film precedes the droplet edge, enabling spreading on a Cassie-Baxter surface.
Droplet spreading ceases when energetically unfavorable, following a distinct power law.
The developed model accurately predicts droplet spreading cessation and contact angles.

Conclusions:

Nanopillar surface structure significantly influences droplet spreading dynamics.
The established model provides a predictive tool for droplet behavior on engineered surfaces.
This research offers insights into controlling liquid-surface interactions at the nanoscale.