Young's equation revisited

Lasse Makkonen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Young's construction for a contact angle at a three-phase intersection forms the basis of all fields of science that involve wetting and capillary action. We find compelling evidence from recent experimental results on the deformation of a soft solid at the contact line, and displacement of an elastic wire immersed in a liquid, that Young's equation can only be interpreted by surface energies, and not as a balance of surface tensions. It follows that the a priori variable in finding equilibrium is not the position of the contact line, but the contact angle. This finding provides the explanation for the pinning of a contact line.
Original languageEnglish
Article number135001
JournalJournal of Physics: Condensed Matter
Volume28
Issue number13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Fingerprint

Contact angle
Interfacial energy
Contacts (fluid mechanics)
intersections
wetting
surface energy
Surface tension
Wetting
interfacial tension
wire
Wire
Liquids
liquids

Keywords

  • surface tension
  • surface energy
  • Young's equation
  • pinning
  • wetting

Cite this

Makkonen, Lasse. / Young's equation revisited. In: Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter. 2016 ; Vol. 28, No. 13.
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Makkonen, L 2016, 'Young's equation revisited', Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, vol. 28, no. 13, 135001. https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/28/13/135001

Young's equation revisited. / Makkonen, Lasse.

In: Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, Vol. 28, No. 13, 135001, 2016.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Young's equation revisited

AU - Makkonen, Lasse

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - Young's construction for a contact angle at a three-phase intersection forms the basis of all fields of science that involve wetting and capillary action. We find compelling evidence from recent experimental results on the deformation of a soft solid at the contact line, and displacement of an elastic wire immersed in a liquid, that Young's equation can only be interpreted by surface energies, and not as a balance of surface tensions. It follows that the a priori variable in finding equilibrium is not the position of the contact line, but the contact angle. This finding provides the explanation for the pinning of a contact line.

AB - Young's construction for a contact angle at a three-phase intersection forms the basis of all fields of science that involve wetting and capillary action. We find compelling evidence from recent experimental results on the deformation of a soft solid at the contact line, and displacement of an elastic wire immersed in a liquid, that Young's equation can only be interpreted by surface energies, and not as a balance of surface tensions. It follows that the a priori variable in finding equilibrium is not the position of the contact line, but the contact angle. This finding provides the explanation for the pinning of a contact line.

KW - surface tension

KW - surface energy

KW - Young's equation

KW - pinning

KW - wetting

U2 - 10.1088/0953-8984/28/13/135001

DO - 10.1088/0953-8984/28/13/135001

M3 - Article

VL - 28

JO - Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter

JF - Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter

SN - 0953-8984

IS - 13

M1 - 135001

ER -

Makkonen L. Young's equation revisited. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter. 2016;28(13). 135001. https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/28/13/135001

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