SURFACE ENERGY OF HYDROPHOBIC ADSORBENTS

The adsorption of water vapor and the heat of wetting of hydrophilic hydromica and hydrophobized samples of kaolinite and Silochrom were studied. The contact angles for the wetting of the investigated materials with water were obtained. The thermodynamic characteristics of the surface of the sorbents and the interfacial region at their boundary with water were calculated from the obtained data. It was shown that the boundary water layers close to the hydrophilic surface of the hydromica are more ordered while those close to the hydrophobic surfaces of the modified samples of kaolinite, Silochrom, and the reference sample (extremely hydrophobic Teflon) are less ordered than liquid water.