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The determination of surface properties of polymers from liquid drop stability on an inclined plane
Author(s) -
Baer Eric,
McLaughlin Thomas F.
Publication year - 1961
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1961.070051417
Subject(s) - wetting , contact angle , materials science , drop (telecommunication) , surface tension , polymer , inclined plane , composite material , sessile drop technique , plane (geometry) , optics , thermodynamics , geometry , physics , mathematics , telecommunications , quantum mechanics , computer science
A method for studying the surfaces of solid polymers is described. Drops of various sizes were deposited on a horizontal surface; then the plane was tilted and the angles of inclination at which the drops begin to slide were recorded. A theory was developed which indicated that a plot of sin α s against V 2/3− on linear graph paper should give a straight line. From the slope of the line, a constant K was obtained which characterized the surface. This constant is a function of the interfacial forces and the density of the drop. The critical surface tension for wetting Teflon (TFE) resin was found to be 20.5 dynes/cm. This is in close agreement with the critical surface tension determined by contact angle measurements. Alathon 23A polyethylene film which had been treated by electric corona discharge was studied. It was shown that K is related to the printability level, and that treated and untreated surfaces may readily be distinguished from one another by their K values.