ABSTRACT
When a liquid meniscus is formed around the contact area of two neighboring surfaces, a force is exerted on the contacting surfaces due to the surface tension of the liquid and the curvature of the meniscus. This is called a capillary force. Capillary forces play important roles in studies of adhesion between particles and particles to flat or curved surfaces, adhesion of insects and small animals, particle processing, friction, etc. Compared to body forces, the relative strength of the capillary force becomes larger as the size of the object decreases, and, unless avoided, immediately leads to the “stiction” problem in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
