Wetting is the ability of a
liquid to maintain contact with a
solid surface, resulting from
intermolecular interactions when the two are brought together. The degree of wetting (wettability) is determined by a force balance between
adhesive and
cohesive forces. Wetting deals with the three phases of materials: gas, liquid, and solid. It is now a center of attention in nanotechnology and nanoscience studies due to the advent of many nanomaterials in the past two decades (e.g.
graphene,
carbon nanotube).