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Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity

Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity

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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Capillarity describes the movement of liquid in small spaces without external forces acting on it. The capillarity is driven by surface tension and adhesive interactions between the liquid and surrounding solid surfaces. This effect is often seen in narrow tubes, porous materials, and fine particles.
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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.
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Adhesion

Adhesion

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.
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When very thin cylindrical tubes, called capillaries, are dipped in a liquid, the liquid rises or falls in the tube compared to the surrounding liquid. This phenomenon is called capillary action. Capillary action occurs due to the combination of two opposing forces: the cohesive forces of the liquid, which cause it to stick to itself and form a rounded shape, and the adhesive forces between the liquid and the walls of the container, which cause the liquid to be attracted to the container walls.

Cohesion

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 29, 2025

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices

Published on: March 27, 2019

Capillary-Driven Water Transport by Contrast Wettability-Based Durable Surfaces.

Theodoros Dimitriadis^1,2, Luca Stendardo³, Irene Tagliaro³

¹Institute of Solid-State Physics, Graz University of Technology, Graz 8010, Austria.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

|May 26, 2023

Summary

Researchers developed durable, patterned surfaces for water management in harsh conditions. These contrast wettability surfaces offer improved longevity over traditional superhydrophobic coatings, enhancing system reliability.

Keywords:

laser surface texturing polymer coating surface durability water transportation wettability contrast

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Scalable Stamp Printing and Fabrication of Hemiwicking Surfaces

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Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices

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Scalable Stamp Printing and Fabrication of Hemiwicking Surfaces

Scalable Stamp Printing and Fabrication of Hemiwicking Surfaces

Published on: December 18, 2018

Area of Science:

Materials Science and Engineering
Surface Chemistry
Nanotechnology

Background:

Effective water transport and management are critical for reliable system operation, especially in extreme weather.
Passive strategies using nonwetting surfaces are sought, but superhydrophobic coatings face durability and environmental challenges.
Existing anodic aluminum oxide coatings offer corrosion protection but lack tunable wettability for advanced water management.

Purpose of the Study:

To engineer durable surfaces with contrast wettability for capillary-driven water transport and management.
To overcome the limitations of current superhydrophobic coatings in real-world, harsh environmental applications.
To validate the concept on materials relevant to heavy-duty engineering and corrosion-prone environments.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of surfaces combining hydrophobic coatings with hard-anodized aluminum patterning.
Utilized a scalable femtosecond laser microtexturing technique for surface patterning.
Validated the developed surfaces on anodic aluminum oxide coated aluminum alloy substrates.

Main Results:

Successfully developed surfaces exhibiting contrast wettability characteristics.
Demonstrated long-term durability of these surfaces under natural and artificial UV and corrosion tests.
Observed superior durability compared to conventional superhydrophobic coatings in aggressive conditions.

Conclusions:

Durable surfaces based on contrast wettability can be fabricated using laser microtexturing and anodization.
These surfaces provide a robust solution for capillary-driven water transport and management in harsh environments.
The developed approach offers a promising alternative to superhydrophobic coatings for engineering applications requiring longevity and reliability.