Applied Surface Thermodynamics (Surfactant Science)

Surface thermodynamics forms the foundation of any meaningful study of capillarity and wetting phenomena. The second edition of Applied Surface Thermodynamics offers a comprehensive state-of-the-art treatment of this critical topic. It provides students and researchers with fundamental knowledge and practical guidelines in solving real-world problems related to the measurement and interpretation of interfacial properties.

Containing 40 percent new material and reorganized content, this second edition begins by presenting a generalized Gibbs theory of capillarity, including discussions of highly curved interfaces. Concentrating on drop-shape techniques, the book discusses liquid-fluid interfacial tension and its measurement. Next, the authors focus on contact angles with chapters on experimental procedures, thermodynamic models, and the interpretation of contact angles in terms of solid surface tension. The book discusses theoretical approaches to determining solid surface tension as well as interfacial tensions of particles and their manifestations. It concludes by discussing drop size dependence of contact angles and line tension.

What’s New in the Second Edition:

• Recent progress in Axisymmetric Drop Shape Analysis (ADSA)
• Image processing methods for drop shape analysis
• Advanced applications and generalizations of ADSA
• Recent studies of contact angle hysteresis
• Contact angles on inert fluoropolymers
• Update on line tension and the drop size dependence of contact angles

Exploring a range of different aspects of surface science and its applications, the book logically progresses so that knowledge of previous chapters enhances the understanding of subsequent material, yet each chapter is freestanding so that experienced researchers can quickly refer to topics of particular interest.