Wilhelmy plate

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Illustration of Wilhelmy plate method; l is, unlike shown, NOT the height of the plate; see discussion site

A Wilhelmy plate is a thin plate that is used to measure equilibrium surface or interfacial tension at an air-liquid or liquid-liquid interface. In this method, the plate is oriented perpendicular to the interface, and the force exerted on it is measured. Based on the work of Ludwig Wilhelmy, this method finds wide use in the preparation and monitoring of Langmuir-Blodgett films.

Detailed description

The Wilhelmy plate consists of a thin plate usually on the order of a few centimeters square. The plate is often made from glass or platinum which may be roughened to ensure complete wetting. The plate is cleaned thoroughly and attached to a scale or balance via a thin metal wire. The force on the plate due to wetting is measured via a tensiometer or microbalance and used to calculate the surface tension (σ) using the Wilhelmy equation:

$\sigma ={\frac {F}{l\cdot \cos \theta }}$

where $l$ is the wetted perimeter (2$w$ + 2$d$) of the Wilhelmy plate and $\theta$ is the contact angle between the liquid phase and the plate. In practice the contact angle is rarely measured, instead either literature values are used, or complete wetting ($\theta =0$) is assumed.

See also

• Tensiometer
• du Noüy ring method
• Sessile drop technique

Further reading

• Holmberg, K (ed.) Handbook of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry New York, Wiley and Sons: 2002. p. 219