Surface and interfacial tension play a key role in product development. Inks, adhesives and paints are tailored to stick better on the surfaces they are applied to, drugs are developed to improve their effectiveness and detergents are optimized to improve their cleaning properties.
Surface Tension is the property of the surface of a liquid that allows it to resist an external force, due to the cohesive nature of its molecules. Surface tension is the tendency of fluid surfaces to shrink into the minimum surface area possible.
Intermolecular forces draw the liquid particles together. Along the surface, these particles are pulled toward the rest of the liquid because they are more attracted to other particles than air. The net inward force causes the surface molecules to contract and resist rupture when stressed, making the liquid behave like an elastic membrane. This allows for phenomena we see in everyday life, like insects walking on water, a metal clip floating on top of water or droplets of water on a leaf.
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