Effect of Treating a Quartz Surface on Its Wetting with Molten Germanium

Equilibrium contact angles are measured for molten germanium droplets on surfaces of fused quartz and other materials pretreated using different options of grinding, polishing, and (in some cases) etching. The roughness factors of relief profiles are estimated via optical interferometry. It is found that depending on the means of treatment, the contact angle varies within a fairly wide range: from 147° to 164°. Based on the final results, it is concluded that the Wenzel–Derjaguin equation is not applicable to the considered system. © 2018, Allerton Press, Inc.