How come a water droplet spreads more on a clean glass surface than on a plastic one? And why does the nature of the water spread on the surface matter in a biomedical application?

In this episode of Season 2 of Science on surfaces we talk to Dr. Susanna Lauren at Biolin Scientific about contact angles, which is a measure of the wettability of a surface. Susanna did her Ph.D. on microfluidics and superhydrophobic surfaces and is an expert on surface-related phenomena, such as surface tension, adhesion, surface free energy, and wettability.

Susanna explains what factors affect the wettability and why the contact angle differs between different materials, making some materials hydrophilic and others hydrophobic. We also get to learn more about how the contact angle can be measured and how it can reveal whether a material will be suitable for a biomedical implant and if your paint will stick to the wall or not.

Thanks for listening! If you are interested in surface and interface science and related topics, you should check out our blog -  the Surface Science blog