Wettability of a Surface Subjected to High Frequency Mechanical Vibrations

Ultrasonic radiation can modify some physical properties in liquid/solid interactions, such as wettability. The dependence of solid surface wettability on its vibrational state was studied. Experiments with an interface formed by distilled water deposited on a titanium alloy and surrounded by air were carried out. It is shown that it is possible to control the apparent wettability of a given liquid/solid/gas system by applying sonic-ultrasonic vibrations of controlled amplitude at the interface. The system studied is composed of a drop of distilled water deposited on a flat titanium surface in air. The contact angle was used as an indicator of apparent wettability. It is shown that the apparent wettability of a surface is linearly dependent on the peak vibration velocity and independent of the vibration frequency. Higher vibration speed lowers the contact angle and therefore causes greater surface wettability. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.