Contact Angle Studies for Measuring Surface Tension of Nanosilica /Polystyrene Nanocomposites

Contact angle measurements are often used as an empirical indicator of ‘wettability’ and interfacial tension [1]. However, in most cases the contact angle exhibits hysteresis foradvancing and receding liquids is due to the roughness and heterogeneity of a solid surface the most popular method fordirect measurement of the estatic contact angle is the sessile drop method [1-3]. Where the angle is determined from the tangent made to the drop curvature at the base. Here our aim was to study the wetting behaviour of the polystyrene/nanosilica nanocomposites with respect to water ,glycerol and xylene. Contact angles of three liquids on solid samples were measured and the Fowkes Equations method was applied forevaluating surface tensions of the solids.Various contact angle parameters such as total solid surface free energy, work of adhesion, interfacial free energy were analyzed. thethermodynamic work of adhesion between polystyrene and each type of silica filler was calculated It was found that thethermodynamic work of adhesion between polystyrene and untreated silica particles was more than in compare with case of treated silica