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Theta Knowledge base

– Attension, Biolin –

Standard Test Method for Interfacial Tension of Oil Against Water by the Ring Method

This application note describes the measurement of interfacial tension between oil and water under non- equilibrium conditions by using the ring method according to the ASTM standard.

– Attension –

Contact angle – What is it and how do you measure it?

Contact angle, θ (theta), is a quantitative measure of wetting of a solid by a liquid. The behavior of single drop on a surface tells you a lot about the…

Attension® Theta Optical Tensiometers

Roughness-Corrected COntact Angle with The Attension® 3D Topography Module

Product Overview

Attension Theta Optical Tensiometer for Topography applications is ideal for studying microscale roughness. The Topography module is an innovative system capable of separating the effect of surface roughness to the contact angle result. As a result, roughness-corrected contact angles can be better compared with each other for research and quality control purposes. Roughness correction on contact angles also enables the calculation of fundamental surface free energy on rough surfaces.

Module Features:
  • Integrated method enabling to define contact angle and surface roughness accurately from the same location and to combine both surface chemical and topographical data with automated software calculations.
  • Offers fast surface characterization method, which does not demand specialist to run the samples.
  • Versatile roughness measurement: both 2D and 3D characterization.

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Attension® 3D Topography Module

Product Features

Wettability is typically studied by a contact angle measurement that can be defined with the well-known Young equation on ideal surfaces. Surface free energy theories are also based on assumptions that Young contact angles are used for calculations. Thus, the surface is assumed to be chemically homogeneous and topographically smooth. This is, however, not true in the case of real surfaces. It is well established that surface roughness enhances the existing wetting behavior and influence on adhesion.

Theta Topography makes it possible to define Young contact angle and surface free energy measurements as well as measurements for rough surfaces according to the well-known Wenzel theory. The roughness corrected contact angles make it possible to understand the influence of roughness and chemistry on the wettability of your surface, separately. By using the highly accurate motorized XYZ sample stage, we can perform both measurements from the exact same location and map the complete surface to check homogeneity and cleanliness. 

Obtainable Datapoints:
  • Θc, roughness corrected contact angles
  • 3D and 2D topographical parameters and visualization
  • 3D roughness image and parameters: Sdr, Sa and Sq
  • 2D roughness image and parameters: Ra, Rq, Rp, Rv, Rz and R10z
Application examples:
  • Inkjet printing
  • Printed electronics
  • CA of small objects such as single fiber and small O-rings
Module Compatibility

Compatible Theta Models

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