A typical wetting solution molecule consists of a hydrophilic head and long hydrophobic tail. (From top to bottom: non-ionic, anionic, cationic and zwitterionic.)
Wetting solutions are liquids containing active chemical compounds that minimise the distance between two immiscible phases by lowering the surface tension to induce optimal spreading. The two phases, known as an interface, can be classified into five categories, namely, solid-solid, solid-liquid, solid-gas, liquid-liquid and liquid-gas.[1]
Although wetting solutions have a long history of acting as detergents for four thousand plus years, the fundamental chemical mechanism was not fully discovered until 1913 by the pioneer McBain.[2][3] Since then, diverse studies have been conducted to reveal the underlying mechanism of micelle formation and working principle of wetting solutions, broadening the area of applications.
The addition of wetting solution to an aqueous droplet leads to the formation of a thin film due to its intrinsic spreading property. This property favours the formation of micelles which are specific chemical structures consisting of a cluster of surfactant molecules that has a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic surface that can lower the surface tension between two different phases.[4]
In addition, wetting solutions can be further divided into four classes; non-ionic, anionic, cationic and zwitterionic.[5]
The spreading property may be examined by adding a drop of the liquid onto an oily surface. If the liquid is not a wetting solution, the droplet will remain intact. If the liquid is a wetting solution, the droplet will spread uniformly on the oily surface because the formation of the micelles lowers the surface tension of the liquid.[6]
Wetting solutions can be applied in pharmaceuticals,[7] cosmetics[8] and agriculture.[9] Albeit a number of practical uses of wetting solutions, the presence of wetting solution can be a hindrance to water purification in industrial membrane distillation.[10]
^Kronberg, Bengt; Holmberg, Krister; Lindman, Björn (2014-10-31). Surface Chemistry of Surfactants and Polymers. doi:10.1002/9781118695968. ISBN 9781118695968.
^Butler, Hilda (2001). Poucher's Perfumes, Cosmetics and Soaps : Volume 3 Cosmetics. Springer Netherlands. ISBN 978-94-011-1482-0. OCLC 958540716.
^The Chairman; Ostwald, Wolfgang (1913). "Colloids and their viscosity. A general discussion". Transactions of the Faraday Society. 9: 34. doi:10.1039/tf9130900034. ISSN 0014-7672.
^Ibrahim, Shaimaa S. (June 2019). "The Role of Surface Active Agents in Ophthalmic Drug Delivery: A Comprehensive Review". Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 108 (6): 1923–1933. doi:10.1016/j.xphs.2019.01.016. ISSN 0022-3549. PMID 30684539. S2CID 59291264.
^Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Sunkad, Gayatri (2020). "The importance of agriculture in present world". doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.14008.78080. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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cavitation, so the solution usually contains a good wetting agent (surfactant). Aqueous cleaning solutions contain detergents, wetting agents and other...
completely wets the substrate. If 0° < θ < 90°, high wetting occurs. If 90° < θ < 180°, low wetting occurs. If θ = 180°, the liquid does not wet the substrate...
Electrowetting is the modification of the wetting properties of a surface (which is typically hydrophobic) with an applied electric field. The electrowetting...
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some contact lenses and their packaging solutions. It reduces friction, thus acting as a lubricant, or wetting agent, built into the lens. Examples of...
called "sensitive paper" for "photogenic drawing" by wetting a sheet of writing paper with a weak solution of ordinary table salt (sodium chloride), blotting...
addition of tin—more expensive than lead—improves wetting properties of the alloy; lead itself has poor wetting characteristics. High-tin tin-lead alloys have...
(ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, trade name butyl cellosolve) that acts as a wetting agent and provides a protective primer layer in conjunction with an organic...
flow that do not completely relax. Symptoms may include daytime wetting, night wetting, urgency, a feeling that the bladder is always full, and straining...
finished product. Examples of binding solutions are a water/sugar solution, or lecithin. In this method, particle wetting, growth, consolidation, erosion and...
has better wetting properties (θ=0°-perfect wetting). In some cases low surface tension liquids such as alcohols or surfactant solutions are used to...
bound water present in the faeces, with sodium alkyl sulphoacetate, a wetting agent, and with glycerol, an anal mucosa irritant and hyperosmotic. However...
water in household cleaners. The textile industry uses DEGBE as a wetting-out solution. DEGBE is also a solvent for nitrocellulose, oils, dyes, gums, soaps...
roughness and contact pressure, determine the contact resistance, and wetting current of a mechanical switch. Sometimes the contacts are plated with...
because the most active environment for weathering is the zone of alternate wetting and drying along the margins of the pools that collect in the pits, the...
key difference being that the dependent variable is the position of the wetting front z {\displaystyle z} , which is a function of time, the water content...
is the prediction of complete wetting when γSG > γSL + γLG and zero wetting when γSL > γSG + γLG. The lack of a solution to the Young–Dupré equation is...
metals' sulphates. Sodium carbonate is used by the brick industry as a wetting agent to reduce the amount of water needed to extrude the clay. In casting...
applications. Applications include: In the pharmaceutical industry, it acts as a wetting agent, stabilizing agent and a choline enrichment carrier, helps in emulsification...
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