中国科学院力学研究所机构知识库

In 1805, Thomas Young was the first to propose an equation (Young's equation) to predict the value of the equilibrium contact angle of a liquid on a solid. On the basis of our predecessors, we further clarify that the contact angle in Young's equation refers to the super-nano contact angle. Whether the equation is applicable to nanoscale systems remains an open question. Zhu et al. [College Phys. 47 (1985)] obtained the most simple and convenient approximate formula, known as the Zhu-Qian approximate formula of Young's equation. Here, using molecular dynamics simulation, we test its applicability for nanodrops. Molecular dynamics simulations are performed on argon liquid cylinders placed on a solid surface under a temperature of 90 K, using Lennard-Jones potentials for the interaction between liquid molecules and between a liquid molecule and a solid molecule with the variable coefficient of strength a. Eight values of a between 0.650 and 0.825 are used. By comparison of the super-nano contact angles obtained from molecular dynamics simulation and the Zhu-Qian approximate formula of Young's equation, we find that it is qualitatively applicable for nanoscale systems.