Spreading of Latex Particles on a Substrate

TL;DR

This paper combines experimental and theoretical approaches to study how elastic latex particles spread on solid surfaces, revealing that elasticity influences contact angles and adhesion work beyond classical models.

Contribution

It introduces a model incorporating particle elasticity to better predict contact angles and adhesion work for latex particles on substrates.

Findings

Elasticity affects contact angle measurements.

Work of adhesion exceeds classical Dupré estimates.

Experimental and theoretical results are consistent.

Abstract

We have investigated both experimentally and theoretically the spreading behavior of latex particles deposited on solid substrates. These particles, which are composed of cross-linked polymer chains, have an intrinsic elastic modulus. We show that the elasticity must be considered to account for the observed contact angle between the particle and the solid substrate, as measured through atomic force microscopy techniques. In particular, the work of adhesion computed within our model can be significantly larger than that from the classical Dupr\'{e} formula.