Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity02:57

Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity

32.9K
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...
32.9K
Surface Tension and Surface Energy01:16

Surface Tension and Surface Energy

3.1K
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,...
3.1K
Surface Tension of Fluid01:22

Surface Tension of Fluid

1.4K
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...
1.4K
Tension01:10

Tension

13.6K
Tension is a force along the length of a medium, in particular, a force carried by a flexible medium, such as a rope or cable. The word "tension" comes from Latin, meaning "to stretch". Not coincidentally, the flexible cords that carry muscle forces to other parts of the body are called tendons. Any flexible connector, such as a string, rope, chain, wire, or cable, can exert pull only parallel to its length; so, a force carried by a flexible connector is a tension with a...
13.6K
Tension Response at Adherens Junctions01:26

Tension Response at Adherens Junctions

3.5K
The adherens junctions that anchor cells together are multi-protein complexes that dynamically adapt to mechanical stimuli such as tensile forces and shear stress. Mechanosensory proteins in these junctions can sense such mechanical stimuli and undergo a shift in their conformation, resulting in an altered function — a process called mechanotransduction.
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin...
3.5K
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Surface, Infiltration, and Conduction Block Anesthesia01:30

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Surface, Infiltration, and Conduction Block Anesthesia

1.9K
Depending on the target organ, local anesthetics (LAs) can be administered via various routes. In surface anesthesia, LAs are applied directly to the surface of the skin or mucous membranes. It is widely used for topical skin numbing before venipuncture or minor surgical procedures. Commonly used surface local anesthetics are lidocaine or benzocaine sprays or creams. Surface anesthesia occurs within 5 minutes and lasts for about 60 minutes. One of the main disadvantages of topical anesthesia is...
1.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Compliant Glass Mechanism Instrumented with a Bragg Grating to Measure Indentation Force.

Micromachines·2026
Same author

FORCETRACKER: A versatile tool for standardized assessment of tissue contractile properties in 3D Heart-on-Chip platforms.

PloS one·2025
Same author

What Are the Key Anatomical Features for the Success of Nose-to-Brain Delivery? A Study of Powder Deposition in 3D-Printed Nasal Casts.

Pharmaceutics·2023
Same author

Integrated Electrochemical and Optical Biosensing in Organs-on-Chip.

Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology·2023
Same author

Instrumented Flexible Glass Structure: A Bragg Grating Inscribed with Femtosecond Laser Used as a Bending Sensor.

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)·2023
Same author

An organ-on-chip device with integrated charge sensors and recording microelectrodes.

Scientific reports·2023
Same journal

Correction: Kang et al. Fluid Flow to Electricity: Capturing Flow-Induced Vibrations with Micro-Electromechanical-System-Based Piezoelectric Energy Harvester. <i>Micromachines</i> 2024, <i>15</i>, 581.

Micromachines·2026
Same journal

Femtosecond Laser Texturing of Wood Coatings with Bio-Based Epoxy and Wax Additives for Enhanced Hydrophobicity.

Micromachines·2026
Same journal

Engineering of Optoelectronic Devices for Renewable Energy Applications.

Micromachines·2026
Same journal

Phase Transformation and Electrochemical Behavior of Hexagonal TiO<sub>2</sub> Nanotubes Under Different Annealing Temperatures and Heating Rates.

Micromachines·2026
Same journal

Process Optimization and Predictive Modeling of Femtosecond Laser Precision Milling for Commercial PMMA Slices.

Micromachines·2026
Same journal

A Hybrid Preprocessing Multi-Objective Surrogate Model for Thermal MEMS Actuators.

Micromachines·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 21, 2026

A Method to Manipulate Surface Tension of a Liquid Metal via Surface Oxidation and Reduction
09:20

A Method to Manipulate Surface Tension of a Liquid Metal via Surface Oxidation and Reduction

Published on: January 26, 2016

16.1K

Microscale Surface Tension and its Applications.

Pierre Lambert1, Massimo Mastrangeli2

  • 1TIPs, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium. pierre.lambert@ulb.ac.be.

Micromachines
|August 14, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Liquid surface tension, studied for over 200 years, remains a vital area for scientific research. Ongoing investigations continue to explore its fundamental properties and practical applications.

Keywords:
contact angledropletsliquid bridgemicrofabricationmicromanipulationpick-and-placesoft roboticssurface tensionwetting

More Related Videos

Accurate Determination of the Equilibrium Surface Tension Values with Area Perturbation Tests
07:57

Accurate Determination of the Equilibrium Surface Tension Values with Area Perturbation Tests

Published on: August 30, 2019

7.8K
Analyzing Cell Surface Adhesion Remodeling in Response to Mechanical Tension Using Magnetic Beads
07:55

Analyzing Cell Surface Adhesion Remodeling in Response to Mechanical Tension Using Magnetic Beads

Published on: March 8, 2017

8.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 21, 2026

A Method to Manipulate Surface Tension of a Liquid Metal via Surface Oxidation and Reduction
09:20

A Method to Manipulate Surface Tension of a Liquid Metal via Surface Oxidation and Reduction

Published on: January 26, 2016

16.1K
Accurate Determination of the Equilibrium Surface Tension Values with Area Perturbation Tests
07:57

Accurate Determination of the Equilibrium Surface Tension Values with Area Perturbation Tests

Published on: August 30, 2019

7.8K
Analyzing Cell Surface Adhesion Remodeling in Response to Mechanical Tension Using Magnetic Beads
07:55

Analyzing Cell Surface Adhesion Remodeling in Response to Mechanical Tension Using Magnetic Beads

Published on: March 8, 2017

8.9K

Area of Science:

  • Physics
  • Physical Chemistry
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • The study of liquid surface tension dates back over two centuries, with foundational work by Young, Laplace, and Plateau.
  • Despite its long history, surface tension continues to be a subject of extensive research in both fundamental and applied science.

Discussion:

  • Surface tension is a critical property influencing phenomena from everyday observations to advanced technological processes.
  • Understanding the molecular basis of surface tension is key to manipulating interfacial behavior.

Key Insights:

  • Current research actively investigates the complexities of liquid surfaces and interfaces.
  • New methodologies and theoretical models are advancing our comprehension of surface tension phenomena.

Outlook:

  • Future research directions include exploring novel materials with tailored surface properties.
  • Applications span diverse fields such as nanotechnology, medicine, and energy.