Hysteresis phenomenon and wetting characteristics of molten Sn-3.0Â wt.%Ag-0.5Â wt.%Cu on different tilting substrates

The hysteresis phenomenon and wetting characteristics of molten Sn-3.0 wt.%Ag-0.5 wt.%Cu on wetting and non-wetting tilting substrates at different temperatures were investigated. The viewpoint on negative interfacial tension was proposed in this paper to explain the spreading and wetting behaviors for sample on different tilted substrates. The critical sliding angle was defined as limited tilting angle of surface at which the molten drop slid down and the upper and lower contact angles of molten drop were measured as the advancing and receding contact angles, respectively. Wetting experiments were performed to determine how contact angle and contact hysteresis on alumina and oxygen-free copper tilting substrates changed with temperature. Static, limited tilting, advancing and receding contact angles on two kinds of substrates were measured at different temperatures. In general, both negative interfacial tension and hysteresis for sample on copper were much larger than that on alumina over the range of temperatures studied, indicating better wettability but worse motion characteristics for the former. It was due to the larger adhesion between solid and liquid than the cohesion of liquid, the negative interfacial tension and the acute contact angle.