Kontaktvinkelmåler

A kontaktvinkelmåler, often translated as contact angle meter or goniometer, is an instrument used to measure the contact angle between a liquid and a solid surface. The contact angle is a fundamental property that quantifies the wettability of a surface by a liquid. It is defined as the angle where the liquid-vapor interface meets the solid-liquid interface.

These instruments typically work by dispensing a sessile drop of the liquid onto the solid sample. A camera or optical system then captures an image of the drop's profile. Specialized software analyzes this image, identifying the tangent to the drop's edge at the point of contact with the surface. The angle between this tangent and the solid surface is then calculated and displayed as the contact angle.

Kontaktvinkelmåler are crucial in various scientific and industrial fields. In materials science, they are used to characterize surface properties, assess surface treatments, and study adhesion. In industries such as printing, coating, and microelectronics, they help optimize processes by understanding how inks, paints, or adhesives interact with substrates. Furthermore, they are employed in biomedical research to evaluate the biocompatibility of implantable materials and in the food industry for analyzing surface properties of packaging or food products. The measurement is sensitive to surface chemistry, surface roughness, and environmental conditions.