The wettability of polytetrafluoroethylene by aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate and propanol mixtures

Advancing contact-angle (θ) measurements were carried out with aqueous solutions of propanol and four series of aqueous solutions of dodecyl sulfate (SDDS) and propanol mixtures at constant dodecyl sulfate concentrations equal to 1×10−5, 6×10−4, 1×10−3, and 1×10−2M, respectively. The obtained results indicate that in the range of propanol concentrations studied there were considerable contact-angle changes, with exception of the solution series at a constant concentration value of SDDS higher than its critical micelle concentration. From the results of contact-angle measurements and application of the Gibbs and Young equations the ratio of the excess concentration of surfactant and propanol at the solid-aqueous solution interface to the excess of their concentration at the aqueous solution-air interface was calculated. From the calculations it appears that there is a straight linear dependence between the adhesion tension and surface tension of aqueous solutions of SDDS and propanol mixtures, and the slope of the line is equal to −1, which suggests that the surface excess of the SDDS and propanol mixture at the polytetrafluoroethylene-solution interface is the same as the at the solution-air interface. The extrapolation of the straight line to the point corresponding to the surface tension of the aqueous solution, which completely spreads over the polytetrafluoroethylene surface, gives a critical surface tension of wetting equal to 23.7 mN/m. On the basis of the critical surface tension and the Young and modified Szyszkowski equations it was found that in a polytetrafluoroethylene-aqueous solution of the SDDS and propanol mixture, the interface tension can be predicted by the modified Szyszkowski equation.