Role of Surfactants in Wetting, Spreading and Adhesion

Wetting is important in many processes, both industrial and natural. In many cases, wetting is a prerequisite for application  

Wetting of powders is an important prerequisite for dispersion of powders in liquids, i.e. preparation of suspensions. It is essential to wet both the external and internal surfaces of the powder aggregated and agglomerates. Suspensions are applied in many industries such as paints, dyestuffs, printing inks, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, paper coatings, detergents, etc. 

Applied Sutjactants Principles and Applications. Tharwat F. Tadros Copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH Co. KGaA, Weinheim ISBN 3-527-30629-3 

The wetting perimeter is frequently referred to as the three-phase line (solid/ liquid/vapour) The most common name is the wetting line. 

Most equilibrium wetting studies centre around measurements of the contact angle - the smaller the angle the better the liquid is said to wet the solid. Typical examples are given in Table 11.1 for water, with a surface tension of 72 mN m, on various substrates. 

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I 7 7 Role of Surfactants in Wetting, Spreading and Adhesion If the dipoles are freely rotating,... 

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