Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026
06:26
Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
6.4K
Microscopic insight into surface wetting: relations between interfacial water structure and the underlying lattice
Chongqin Zhu1, Hui Li2, Yongfeng Huang1
1Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
Physical Review Letters
|August 29, 2014
Summary
Surface structure influences water droplet contact angles. Modifying hydrophilic surface lattice constants alters wetting, with optimal alignment minimizing contact angle, unlike hydrophobic surfaces. This reveals a link between surface properties and water behavior.
Area of Science:
- Surface Science
- Physical Chemistry
- Computational Materials Science
Background:
- The wetting behavior of liquids on solid surfaces is crucial in various scientific and industrial applications.
- Understanding the interfacial structure of water is key to predicting its interaction with materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of surface lattice constant on water droplet contact angles.
- To explore the relationship between surface structure, vicinal water dynamics, and wetting properties.
Main Methods:
- Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to model water-surface interactions.
- A small uniform strain (± 3%) was applied to the lattice constant of multilayer hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces.
Main Results:
- A marked change in wetting tendency was observed for hydrophilic surfaces with applied lattice strain.
- A contact-angle minimum was identified when the hydrophilic surface lattice constant matched the projected oxygen-oxygen distance of bulk water.
- Hydrophobic surfaces showed minimal changes in wetting properties under similar lattice strain conditions.
- The structure of the first water layer on hydrophilic surfaces lost liquid-like characteristics away from the contact-angle minimum.
Conclusions:
- The structure of the first water layer significantly influences the contact angle of water droplets.
- Surface lattice constant plays a critical role in determining the wetting of hydrophilic surfaces.
- A strong correlation exists between lattice constant, contact angle, and the structure/dynamics of vicinal water.
Related Concept Videos
02:57Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
28.5K
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...
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...
28.5K
01:22Surface Tension of Fluid
1.9K
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...
Surface tension varies...
1.9K
01:13Contact Angle
27.7K
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...
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...
27.7K
03:13Intermolecular Forces
62.2K
Atoms and molecules interact through bonds (or forces): intramolecular and intermolecular. The forces are electrostatic as they arise from interactions (attractive or repulsive) between charged species (permanent, partial, or temporary charges) and exist with varying strengths between ions, polar, nonpolar, and neutral molecules. The different types of intermolecular forces are ion–dipole, dipole–dipole, hydrogen bonds, and dispersion; among these, dipole–dipole, hydrogen...
62.2K
01:16Surface Tension and Surface Energy
3.2K
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,...
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,...
3.2K
01:07Cohesion
44.9K
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...
On a...
44.9K