Young’s Equation at the Nanoscale

Abstract

In 1805, Thomas Young was the first to propose an equation to predict the value of the equilibrium contact angle of a liquid on a solid. Today, the force exerted by a liquid on a solid, such as a flat plate or fiber, is routinely used to assess this angle. Moreover, it has recently become possible to study wetting at the nanoscale using an atomic force microscope. Here, we report the use of molecular-dynamics simulations to investigate the force distribution along a 15 nm fiber dipped into a liquid meniscus. We find very good agreement between the measured force and that predicted by Young's equation.