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Determining the Contact Angle of Inkjet Printed Drops on Textile Fibers
Zixin Wang1, Michael P Avery1, Brian Derby1
1Department of Materials and Henry Royce Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|June 10, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed a new method to measure the contact angle of liquids on textile fibers by analyzing dried ink deposits. This technique provides an upper bound for fiber/liquid contact angles in fabrics.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Chemistry
- Textile Engineering
Background:
- Measuring the true contact angle on rough textile surfaces is challenging due to fiber curvature.
- Traditional methods of analyzing single fiber-liquid interactions are difficult for fine textile fibers (<10 μm).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of dried drop spreading length to determine liquid-textile fiber contact angles.
- To establish a reliable method for measuring fiber/liquid contact angles within textile structures.
Main Methods:
- Depositing uniform liquid drops (Ag nanoparticle ink or Ag compound solution) onto fabrics using inkjet printing.
- Analyzing the spreading length of the dried deposit as an indicator of maximum liquid spread.
- Applying an analytical model to compute equilibrium wetting angles from known drop volumes and measured wetted lengths.
Main Results:
- The spreading length of dried drops accurately reflects the maximum extent of liquid spreading before evaporation.
- Measured fiber/liquid contact angles were consistent with bulk material behavior.
- The developed method provides an upper bound for the contact angle on textile fibers.
Conclusions:
- Dried drop analysis offers a viable method for determining liquid-textile fiber contact angles.
- This technique is applicable to various fabric types and liquid formulations.
- The study advances the understanding of liquid-solid interactions in textile materials.
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