Equilibrium gas–liquid–solid contact angle from density-functional theory

Abstract

AbstractWe investigate the equilibrium of a fluid in contact with a solid boundary through a density-functional theory. Depending on the conditions, the fluid can be in one phase, gas or liquid, or two phases, while the wall induces an external field acting on the fluid particles. We first examine the case of a liquid film in contact with the wall. We construct bifurcation diagrams for the film thickness as a function of the chemical potential. At a specific value of the chemical potential, two equally stable films, a thin one and a thick one, can coexist. As saturation is approached, the thickness of the thick film tends to infinity. This allows the construction of a liquid–gas interface that forms a well-defined contact angle with the wall.