Introduction to Molecular-Scale Understanding of Surface Tension

2023/09/07 by Yasutaka Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, Yasutaka, Hiroshi Kawamura +1
Chemistry · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Physical and Chemical Molecular Interactions #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Continuum mechanics #Epistemology #FOS: Physical sciences #Geometry #Intermolecular force #Mathematics #Mechanics #Molecule #Philosophy #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Scale (ratio) #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) #Statistical mechanics #Statistical physics #Surface (topology) #Surface tension #Theoretical physics #Thermodynamics #Various Chemistry Research Topics

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2309.03448

published in arXiv (Cornell University) (Cornell University)

openalex publication_date 2023/09/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

In this article, microscopic understanding of the surface tension are provided, which needs basic knowledge of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics as well as continuum mechanics. By introducing the intermolecular interaction potential and temperature definition, and by showing conceptual pictures including some results obtained by molecular dynamics simulations, the author hopes that the target readers of undergraduate level students can find fascinating aspects of surface tension as the boundary of macroscopic and microscopic physics.

Related

• The molecular mechanism of surface tension
• A unified description of Surface Free Energy and Surface Stress
• Analysis of surface tension in terms of force gradient per unit area. Part II : Theoretical model of a statistical molecular reorganization gradient at interfaces
• Molecular simulation of the surface tension of real fluids
• Surface tension of monoatomic liquids after relaxation: the main energy contributions