Contact Angle Measurement

The technique of measuring contact angles is used to quantify the wetting qualities of a liquid droplet on a solid surface. It is widely employed in a wide range of scientific disciplines, including surface chemistry, materials science, and fluid dynamics. The contact angle is the angle formed at the three-phase boundary where the liquid, solid, and gas (usually air) meet.

Measurement of Contact Angle

The following options are available to our client’s thanks to the software used for Drop Shape Analysis and our sophisticated Contact Angle Measuring Instrument:

Tangent, height-width, and YOUNG-LAPLACE (sessile drop fitting) methods for calculating the contact angles of single drops of test liquids on a solid surface.

Volume-controlled sample drop measurement of advancing and receding contact angles

Surface free energy of solid samples can be measured using a variety of techniques, including the acid-base method, the FOWKES, OWENS/WENDT/RABEL/KAELBLE, SCHULTZ, WU, and ZISMAN methods. Surface and interfacial tension of liquids can be measured using drop shape analysis (pendant drop method)

Useful Applications

• Determining the cleanliness of surfaces
• Evaluation of cleaning techniques
• Study of wetting behaviour and wettability
• Adhesion research
• Printability assessment
• Evaluation of surface modification and coatings.

The contact angle can be measured in a variety of ways, including:

The sessile drop method involves placing a droplet of liquid on a flat solid surface and observing and measuring the form of the droplet with optical techniques such as a goniometer or a contact angle goniometer. The contact angle can be estimated using the droplet’s shape.

• Captive Bubble approach: A bubble of gas is trapped beneath a liquid on a solid surface in this approach. The contact angle is determined by looking at the shape of the liquid meniscus surrounding the bubble.
• Wilhelmy Plate Method: A thin plate or fibre is partially immersed in a liquid, and the force exerted on the plate or fibre owing to the surface tension of the liquid is measured.The Young-Laplace equation can be used to calculate the contact angle given the measured force.
• Axisymmetric Drop Shape Analysis (ADSA): ADSA is a technique that employs image analysis to calculate the contact angle of a droplet depending on its shape. It entails taking a picture of the droplet and analysing its structure with specialised software.

Video1: How to do a contact angle measurement (Quickstart guide)

on the topic, Infinita Lab can be contacted. We assure the use of high-quality testing procedures for the safe testing of various materials with accurate, precise, and efficient results.