A polymere surface treated with plasma, as a resulte the centact angle decreased. Can we affirme that the surface roughness was increased?
is there a constant relationship between surface rougness and contact angle.
Unfortunately, there isn't and you can't straightforward say that.
For a flat surface, the contact angle is determined by the surface energies of the liquid, the solid and the solid-liquid interface via the young equation.
If the solid surface becomes rough, you get an overlap of effects, see https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_relationship_between_crystallite_size_contact_angle_and_roughness_for_metal_oxides
If you apply a plasma to a polymer surface, you may change the chemical bonding situation in the surface area severely thus altering the surface energy. Adding different roughnesses to the issue, you get a many-body problem which I doubt you can resolve in a valid manner.
So, for roughness measurements, microscopic or profilometric methods are probably a better idea.
Dear Jürgen Weippert;
Thank you for your answer. If i understand the contact angle is the result of surface energy. However, there is severale work that relat the reduction of the contac angle to the the encrease of surface roughness?!. I think it is not possible to generalize.
If are sure that the surface energy does not change, then you can make a statement, sure.
However, in a plasma treatment a change in surface energy is highly expectable. Therefore you have an effect crossover and, as you said, it is not possible to generalize.
If you want to come closer to a statement, an accurate roughness measurement as suggested by microscopy or profilometry would be highly recommendable.
Definitely YES!
The liquid does not only confront with the interfacial forces, but equally with morfology of the surface.
G. Bognolo
Guido Bognolo
Please read the detailed text of the question. Of course there is some relationship, but it's not mathematically simple.
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