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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Electrowetting-based Digital Microfluidics Platform for Automated Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay

Electrowetting-based Digital Microfluidics Platform for Automated Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay

Published on: February 23, 2020

What is active wetting?

¹Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Münster, Wilhelm-Klemm-Str. 9, 48149, Münster, Germany. u.thiele@uni-muenster.de.

The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter

|July 2, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Active wetting phenomena are increasingly studied across various scientific fields. This perspective classifies wetting phenomena, distinguishing passive and active wetting for better understanding and modeling.

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Area of Science:

Physics
Biophysics
Soft Matter

Background:

The term "active wetting" is gaining traction in scientific literature.
Wetting phenomena are observed in diverse systems like biomolecular condensates and cell aggregates.
Active Brownian particles also exhibit wetting behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide a coarse classification of wetting phenomena, incorporating active wetting.
To distinguish between static and dynamic wetting of passive liquids.
To review and define active wetting phenomena.

Main Methods:

Introduction to categories of static and dynamic wetting of passive liquids.
Distinction between equilibrium, relaxational, driven, and reactive wetting.
Overview of phenomena recently described as active wetting.

Main Results:

Classification of wetting phenomena is proposed.
Passive wetting categories include equilibrium, relaxational, driven, and reactive wetting.
Various phenomena are identified and discussed under the umbrella of active wetting.

Conclusions:

A possible definition for active wetting is discussed.
Caveats for using active wetting classifications are highlighted.
The classification aims to aid in analyzing and modeling diverse wetting phenomena.