Daniel, D., Florida, Y., Lay, C. L., Koh, X. Q., Sng, A., & Tomczak, N. (2020). Quantifying Surface Wetting Properties Using Droplet Probe Atomic Force Microscopy. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 12(37), 42386–42392. doi:10.1021/acsami.0c12123
Abstract:
The functional properties of a surface, such as its anti-
fogging or anti-fouling performance, are influenced by its wettability. To
quantify surface wettability, the most common approach is to measure the
contact angles of a liquid droplet on the surface. While well established
and relatively easy to perform, contact angle measurements were
developed to describe macroscopic wetting properties and are difficult
to perform for submillimetric droplets. Moreover, they cannot spatially
resolve surface heterogeneities that can contribute to surface fouling. To
address these shortcomings, we report on using an atomic force
microscopy technique to quantitatively measure the interaction forces
between a microdroplet and a surface with piconewton force resolution. We show how our technique can be used to spatially map topographical and chemical heterogeneities with micron resolution.
License type:
Publisher Copyright
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the A*STAR - Pharos Advanced Surfaces Programme
Grant Reference no. : 1523700101