More and more research interest is being put on functional coatings. New measurement techniques are required to evaluate them.
Contact angle hysteresis is often measured with so-called tilting cradle or plate method. The measurement can be done either manually or automatically.
Dynamic contact angle measurements with the needle method has been automated for reliable and repeatable results.
The measurement methods can be divided into optical (needle and tilting methods) and force (Wilhelmy method) depending on the measurement principle used. All the methods are measuring advancing and receding contact angles which are used to calculate contact angle hysteresis.
Contact angle hysteresis (CAH) is an important physical phenomenon. When you look through the window on a rainy day, you have probably noticed that some of the water droplets stick to the glass even though gravity is pulling them down. The phenomenon can be explained by contact angle hysteresis.
Contact angles are routinely measured as they offer simple, yet extremely sensitive measurement method for surface characterization. Although, the static contact angle is an excellent tool, more in-depth understanding of the surface properties require dynamic contact angle measurements.
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