ABSTRACT
Wetting implies the spreading of a liquid over a (solid) surface; dewetting is the reverse process. Wetting and dewetting are important phenomena in nature as well as in technological applications. Examples are the poor wetting by water of the feathers of (water)birds, the wetting of plant leaves by solutions of pesticides, the treatment of textile to make it waterproof, the in¤uence of detergents on the wettability
of dishes, the wettability of contact lenses by lachrymal ¤uid, the wetting of hemodialysis membranes by blood plasma, and so on.
