New insights into the capillary retention force and the work of adhesion

TL;DR

This paper provides new calculations and insights into the capillary retention force and work of adhesion, highlighting their roles in drop adhesion and energy dissipation during sliding.

Contribution

It introduces novel calculations of the normal capillary retention force and explores their relationship with the work of adhesion, offering a deeper understanding of drop-surface interactions.

Findings

Normal capillary retention force quantified

Relationship between retention force and work of adhesion established

Lateral retention force dominates energy dissipation at low capillary numbers

Abstract

We calculate the normal capillary retention force that anchors a drop to a solid surface in the direction perpendicular to the surface, and study the relationship between such force and the Young-Dupre work of adhesion. We also calculate the work necessary to create or destroy a patch of solid-liquid interface by moving the triple line on a solid substrate. We argue that when the capillary number is small and a drop is sliding on a surface at constant speed, the lateral retention force is the major source of energy dissipation, whereas viscous dissipation plays a minor role.