Wettability of polytetrafluoroethylene and polymethyl methacrylate by aqueous solutions of TX-100 and TX-165 mixture with propanol

Abstract

The measurements of the contact angle of the aqueous solutions of TX-100 and TX-165 mixture with propanol on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were carried out. On the basis of the obtained results, the dependence between the cosine of contact angle and surface tension as well as between the adhesion and surface tension of the solutions in the light of the work of adhesion of the solutions to the PTFE and PMMA surface was discussed. The dependence between the adhesion and surface tension for PMMA was correlated to the surface concentration of propanol as well as TX-100 and TX-165 mixture concentration determined from the Frumkin equation at the PMMA-air, PMMA-solution and solution–air interfaces. For this purpose, the surface tension of PMMA covered by a surface active agent film was determined using the Neumann et al. equation and next the PMMA–solution interface tension was evaluated from the Young equation. The values of the surface tension of PMMA covered by propanol and surfactants mixture layer were applied to describe the changes of the adhesion work of solutions to PMMA surface as a function of propanol and surfactants mixture concentration. The adhesion work of the aqueous solutions of TX-100 and TX-165 mixture with propanol to the PTFE and PMMA surfaces was discussed in the light of the adhesion work of particular components of the solutions. On the basis of the results obtained from the contact angle measurements, the standard Gibbs free energy of adsorption of particular components of solution was also considered.