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Elastowetting of Soft Hydrogel Spheres
Aditi Chakrabarti1, Amir Porat2, Elie Raphaël2
1Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , Lehigh University , Bethlehem , Pennsylvania 18015 , United States.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|March 14, 2018
Summary
Soft hydrogel spheres exhibit arrested spreading on surfaces due to elastic shear stresses, unlike liquid water. Increasing gel stiffness enhances this effect, impacting contact angle and foot formation.
Area of Science:
- Soft Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Surface Science
Background:
- Hydrogel spheres display unique wetting behavior distinct from pure liquids.
- Understanding hydrogel-substrate interactions is crucial for material design and applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate the elastowetting phenomenon of hydrogel spheres on various substrates.
- To elucidate the role of elastic properties and surface energy in hydrogel spreading.
Main Methods:
- Experimental study of hydrogel spheres on rigid hydrophilic substrates with varying surface energies.
- Systematic variation of gel elastic modulus, work of adhesion, and sphere size.
- Analysis based on energy minimization, volume conservation, and scaling arguments.
Main Results:
- Hydrogel spheres exhibit arrested spreading with an axisymmetric foot, unlike the thin film formation of liquid water.
- Contact angle increases with decreasing work of adhesion and increasing elastic modulus.
- Contact foot length correlates positively with work of adhesion and sphere size, and negatively with elastic modulus.
Conclusions:
- Elastic shear stresses within the hydrogel significantly oppose spreading, leading to larger contact angles compared to pure liquids.
- The observed elastowetting behavior is governed by a balance between surface energy and elastic deformation.
- Findings provide insights into the mechanics of soft material wetting and adhesion.
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