This book chronicles the proceedings of the International Symposium on Apparent and Microscopic Contact Angles, held in conjunction with the American Chemical Society meeting in Boston, August 24--27, 1998. The symposium provided an opportunity to discuss several controversial issues associated with interfacial phenomena that govern the behavior of the three-phase systems. This volume contains 28 papers --- previously published in 3 issues of the Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology. The book is divided into four parts: Nanoscopic and Molecular Effects on Contact Angles; Surface Forces and Surface Free Energy; Wetting of Heterogeneous, Rough and Curved Surfaces; Dynamic Effects in Contact Angle Measurements. Among the topics covered are: contact line tension measurement; liquid drop surface topography; molecular mechanisms of hydrophobic transitions; stereochemical and conformational aspects of polymer surfaces; determination of acid-base properties of metal oxides and polymers by contact angle measurement; van Oss--Good theory of acid-base surface free energies; AFM measurement of forces; thin liquid films; wettability of flat and curved surfaces; contact angle hysteresis; factors affecting contact angle meassurements; dynamic wetting behavior; and effect of surfactants on wetting.
