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Related Concept Videos

Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity02:57

Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity

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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...
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Surface Tension of Fluid01:22

Surface Tension of Fluid

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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...
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Cohesion01:07

Cohesion

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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...
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Contact Angle01:13

Contact Angle

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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...
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Surface Tension and Surface Energy01:16

Surface Tension and Surface Energy

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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,...
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Adhesion01:14

Adhesion

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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: Nov 30, 2025

Measuring the Interaction Force Between a Droplet and a Super-hydrophobic Substrate by the Optical Lever Method
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Measuring the Interaction Force Between a Droplet and a Super-hydrophobic Substrate by the Optical Lever Method

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Attraction and Repulsion between Liquid Droplets over a Liquid-Impregnated Surface.

B Majhy1, S K Jain1, A K Sen1

  • 1Micro Nano Bio-Fluidics Unit, Fluid Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, Tamilnadu, India.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
|November 12, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Adjacent liquid droplets show attraction and repulsion due to volatility. This study reveals a switch from attractive "Cheerios effect" to repulsive "reverse-Cheerios effect" driven by wetting and evaporation.

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Last Updated: Nov 30, 2025

Measuring the Interaction Force Between a Droplet and a Super-hydrophobic Substrate by the Optical Lever Method
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Visualization of High Speed Liquid Jet Impaction on a Moving Surface
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Area of Science:

  • Fluid dynamics
  • Surface science
  • Interfacial phenomena

Background:

  • Interactions between liquid droplets on surfaces are crucial in various scientific and industrial applications.
  • Understanding droplet behavior, including attraction and repulsion, is key to controlling processes like printing and coating.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-range interaction forces between adjacent liquid droplets on an immiscible liquid film.
  • To explore the influence of volatility on droplet-droplet interactions.
  • To elucidate the underlying physical mechanisms governing these interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental observation of droplet pairs on a volatile or non-volatile liquid film.
  • Theoretical modeling incorporating wetting, capillarity, buoyancy, and evaporation.
  • Quantitative analysis of droplet transport behavior.

Main Results:

  • Adjacent liquid droplets exhibit both long-range attraction and repulsion.
  • The interaction transitions from attractive (Cheerios effect) at early times to repulsive (reverse-Cheerios effect) at later times.
  • Volatility of either the droplet or the impregnating liquid drives these phenomena.

Conclusions:

  • Wetting, capillarity, buoyancy, and evaporation are the primary drivers of droplet interactions.
  • A theoretical framework is established to predict droplet transport behavior.
  • The findings offer insights into controlling droplet assembly and behavior in multiphase systems.