ABSTRACT
I. Introduction 313 II. Immersion and Wetting Calorimetry: General View 314
A. Surface thermodynamic quantities 314 B. Wetting enthalpy and surface state of the solid 315 C. Enthalpy of immersion 317 D. Experimental 318
III. Surface Energies of Solids 320 A. Classical definitions 320 B. Surface energy 320
IV. Enthalpy of Immersion: Experimental Results 324 A. Case of water 325 B. Case of alkanes 328 C. Case of polar liquids 329
V. Analysis of Results 331 A. Introduction 331 B. The model 332 C. Determination of solid surface tensions 337
VI. Surface Energy of High-Energy Solids 339 A. Surface enthalpy 339 B. Surface tension 343 Conclusion 345 References 346
I. INTRODUCTION
The drops forming on the upper part of a glass containing a wine rich in alcohol illustrate the magnitude of the physical and chemical effects of wetting. The thermal effect linked to wetting phenomena is so great that it was quantified as early as 1822 by Pouillet [1] in Marseille (France). Wetting phenomena are currently of great importance in industrial areas such as lubrication [2], adsorption [3], flotation, extraction, chromatography, and membrane processes [4]. They also have an importance in graphic arts and technology.
