Surface tension dependence on temperature

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the dependence of surface tension on temperature, exploring its applicability to various substances beyond water, and questioning the relevance of surface tension in solid/air interfaces. Participants also touch upon the Eötvös rule and the Kelvin effect in different states of matter.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks a general formula for surface tension's dependence on temperature and notes the Eötvös rule, questioning its applicability to substances other than water.
  • Another participant acknowledges the Eötvös rule and suggests that it can be applied to different liquids, recommending resources for obtaining necessary data.
  • Several participants express uncertainty about the meaning of surface tension and the Kelvin effect at solid/air interfaces, questioning whether these concepts are applicable in such cases.
  • One participant proposes that surface tension effects may exist at any interface between different media, including solid to solid and liquid to solid.
  • A participant infers that surface tension at solid/air interfaces might be greater than at liquid/air interfaces due to the tighter molecular arrangement in solids, while also suggesting that the Kelvin effect may not apply to solids due to their flat surface characteristics at the microscale.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relevance of surface tension and the Kelvin effect in solid/air interfaces, indicating that multiple competing perspectives remain without consensus.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the need for specific data on various liquids and the potential limitations of applying the Eötvös rule universally. There is also ambiguity regarding the physical meaning of surface tension in different states of matter.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those studying surface phenomena in physics and materials science, particularly in relation to temperature effects and phase transitions.

deb2014
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Hello,

I am looking for a general formula for the surface tension dependence with respect to temperature.

I am aware of the Eötvös rule (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eötvös_rule), but I only found data for water, and wonder if there are some for other compounds.

Also, I wonder if speaking of surface tension for water with a temperature below the freezing point is meaningfull ?

To my opinion, as soon as a liquid freezes, it takes a cristal form with much stronger links molecules between themselves, so that the Kelvin effect would no more take place.

Am I right ?
 
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I wasn't aware of an Eotvos rule and because of your link I have just looked at it for the first time. It looks pretty good to me and it seems it can be applied to different liquids. You need to look up the density, critical temperature and molar mass of the liquid and you can probably get this information by searching a site such as NIST.
 
Thanks for your answeer

I am just still wondering if surface tension (as well as kelvin effect) has a physical meaning for solid/air interface ?
 
deb2014 said:
Thanks for your answeer

I am just still wondering if surface tension (as well as kelvin effect) has a physical meaning for solid/air interface ?

I think there must be surface tension type (or analogous) effects wherever there is an interface between two different mediums including solid to solid, liquid to solid and so on. Consider a molecule in one of the mediums. The closer it is to the interface the more strongly it feels the effects of those molecules in the opposite medium.
 
Thans again for your answeer, which seems to me quite convincing.

I would also say that the surface tension solid/air should be greater than liquid/air
because molecules in the solid are much more tightened than in the liquid,

do not know if it is a good inference, nevertheless, as for the Kelvin effect,
which directly depends on the surface tension, I think it does not exist for solid/air interfaces
because Kelvin effect needs a curved surface, where as solid is, at microscale level, somewhat of a flat surface (infinite curvature)

Best regards
 

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