Introducing a graphical user interface for dynamic contact angle determination

Abstract

Contact angle goniometry is an important characterization technique that can determine crucial information, such as the wettability, interfacial tension, and adhesion properties of solid and liquid surfaces alike. However, while this technique is already widespread, the by-hand analysis process of elucidating the advancing and receding contact angles (ARCAs) from the actual data set has many pitfalls and is fraught with human error. In this article, we introduce a graphical user interface (GUI) called ARCA Finder that drastically simplifies the analysis process by displaying the contact angle data in a novel perspective and aiding the user to determine the most accurate measurement from the available data based on the full definition of the dynamic contact angles. The goal of this invention is to improve measurement accuracy by reducing human error in goniometry, while also improving the repeatability of measurements among different researchers. By testing this approach alongside by-hand analysis on both synthetic and real dynamic contact angle videos, our results demonstrate a noticeable difference in the measured values, which suggests that the ARCA Finder GUI improves the measurement accuracy compared to the standard approach.