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The surface energy of a liquid may be measured by stretching a liquid membrane (which increases the surface area and hence the surface energy). In that case, in order to increase the surface area of a mass of liquid by an amount, δA, a quantity of work, γ δA, is needed (where γ is the surface energy density of the liquid).
Gibbs emphasized that for solids, the surface free energy may be completely different from surface stress (what he called surface tension): [14]: 315 the surface free energy is the work required to form the surface, while surface stress is the work required to stretch the surface. In the case of a two-fluid interface, there is no distinction ...
Here σ is the surface tension, n, t and s are unit vectors in a local orthogonal coordinate system (n,t,s) at the free surface (n is outward normal to the free surface while the other two lie in the tangential plane and are mutually orthogonal). The indices 'l' and 'g' denote liquid and gas, respectively and K is the curvature of the free surface.
During this process, surface tension decrease as function of time and finally approach the equilibrium surface tension (σ equilibrium). [3] Such a process is illustrated in figure 1. (Image was reproduced from reference) [2] Figure 1: Migration of surfactant molecules and change of surface tension (σ t1 > σ t2 > σ equilibrium).
Here () denotes the surface tension (or (excess) surface free energy) of a liquid drop with radius , whereas denotes its value in the planar limit. In both definitions (1) and (2) the Tolman length is defined as a coefficient in an expansion in 1 / R {\displaystyle 1/R} and therefore does not depend on R {\displaystyle R} .
The surface energy is measured in units of joules per square meter, which is equivalent in the case of liquids to surface tension, measured in newtons per meter.The overall surface tension/energy of a liquid can be acquired through various methods using a tensiometer or using the pendant drop method and maximum bubble pressure method.
Disturbed free surface of a sea, viewed from below. In physics, a free surface is the surface of a fluid that is subject to zero parallel shear stress, [1] such as the interface between two homogeneous fluids. [2] An example of two such homogeneous fluids would be a body of water (liquid) and the air in the Earth's atmosphere (gas mixture).
A similar term called "surface free energy", the excess free energy per unit area needed to create a new surface, is sometimes confused with "surface stress". Although surface stress and surface free energy of liquid–gas or liquid–liquid interface are the same, [ 2 ] they are very different in solid–gas or solid–solid interface.