Contact angle analysis on polymethylmethacrylate and commercial wax by using an environmental scanning electron microscope

The environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) represents one of the most exciting breakthroughs in electron microscopy since the invention of the electron microscope. Its ability to observe uncoated and hydrated samples enhances the possibility for investigating the wettability of surfaces at a microscopic level; by varying the relative vapour pressure or the temperature inside the chamber, it is possible to condense water drops on a micron scale. A large problem in measuring contact angles by ESEM is that the observation angle is not parallel or perpendicular to the surface; thus, the study of the droplets profile using the common algorithms such as spherical approximation or axisymmetric drop shape analysis (ADSA) is not possible, because only a spherical cap shape is commonly observed. In this paper we provide a useful mathematical model to calculate the real contact angle from the initial images. Initially, some simulated spherical caps with different contact and observation angles were created by an appropriate graphic package in order to test the mathematical model. Some real drops obtained by ESEM on wax and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) were then studied and the results compared with contact angles measured by common methods on the same materials.