Wettability

Description

The ability of a solid material to have surface contact with a liquid. Wettability is measured, as with surface tension, by the contact angle formed between a drop of the liquid and the material. A hydrophobic material will have a high contact angle (usually greater than 90 degrees) and a completely wettable material such as unsized paper will have a contact angle of zero. Wetting agents increase the wettability of a material.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Benetzbarkeit (Deut.); mouillabilité (Fr.); wetting ability

Authority

• Theodore J. Reinhart, 'Glossary of Terms', Engineered Plastics, ASM International, 1988

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982