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Wetting Agents Article

A wetting agent can also be known as a surfactant, which is a type of chemical that alters the properties of liquids, because it causes changes to the surface tension of the liquid. Surfactants can also contain dispersants, which are chemicals that separate oil and water, and emulsifiers, which combine oily liquids with water. Wetting agents can be made up a variety of chemicals, all of which have this tension-lowering effect.

When the wetting agent is applied, it causes the liquid to create particles called micelles, which allow the penetration of the solid by the liquid. Micelles are made up of molecules that attract water and molecules that repel water. In water, the micelles assemble in a large cluster where the water-attracting molecules form a ring with the water-repelling molecules in the center. When the wetting agent is used in oily liquids, the structure of this micelle is reversed as the water-repelling molecules are on the outside of the ring because they are attracted to the oily liquid and the water-attracting molecules are repelled by the oily liquid.

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