The contact angle is a measure of the wettability of a solid surface by a liquid. It is defined as the angle formed between the tangent to the liquid interface and the solid surface at the three-phase contact line, where the solid, liquid, and gaseous phases meet. In practical terms, the contact angle can provide insights into how a liquid will interact with a solid surface: - **Low Contact Angle (0° to 90°)**: Indicates that the liquid wets the surface well.
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The contact angle is measured through a liquid between its interface and a solid substrate at their contact line. In a gently sloping two-dimensional film on a horizontal substrate, its small-angle value is the limiting magnitude of the height slope. A zero contact angle means a tangential approach to the substrate; it does not imply bounded curvature, as the limiting zero-flux thermocapillary film profiles illustrate.