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Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Fast Imaging Technique to Study Drop Impact Dynamics of Non-Newtonian Fluids
Published on: March 5, 2014
A comparison between liquid drops and solid particles in partial wetting
Antonio Stocco1, Maurizio Nobili1
1Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), UMR 5221 CNRS-Univ. Montpellier, Montpellier F-34095, France.
Abstract:
In this critical review we compare two geometries in partial wetting: a liquid drop on a planar substrate and a spherical particle at a planar liquid interface. We show that this comparison is far from being trivial even if the same physical interactions are at play in both geometries. Similarities and differences in terms of free energies and frictions will be discussed. Contact angle hysteresis, the impact of surface roughness and line pinning on wetting will be described and compared to selected experimental findings.
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