Wetting and Surface Curvature

Wetting and surface curvature describe how a liquid behaves where it meets a solid. When a solid is dipped into a liquid, the liquid surface can bend near the contact line. In some cases, the liquid rises along the solid. In others, the surface becomes convex or depressed near the solid.

This beh...

Consider a test tube of water. The water surface is pulled near the tube's inner wall and forms a concave meniscus. However, in the case of mercury, a convex meniscus is formed.

At the point of contact, if tangent lines are drawn to the solid surface towards the liquid and to the liquid surface away from the solid, the angle between the t...